Taiwan Dispatch

       Noisy, Gaudy and Spiritual: Young Pilgrims Embrace an Ancient Goddess

       On an island whose religious diversity is part of its democratic identity, many of the faithful participating in a pilgrimage for Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, were in their 20s and teens.

       A statue, being carried on a litter, arrived at night to a temple jam-packed with people, beneath bright lights and colorful lanterns.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

       Taiwan Dispatch

       Noisy, Gaudy and Spiritual: Young Pilgrims Embrace an Ancient Goddess

       On an island whose religious diversity is part of its democratic identity, many of the faithful participating in a pilgrimage for Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, were in their 20s and teens.

       A statue, being carried on a litter, arrived at night to a temple jam-packed with people, beneath bright lights and colorful lanterns.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

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       By Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien

       Photographs by Lam Yik Fei

       Chris Buckley, Amy Chang Chien and Lam Yik Fei spent four days walking parts of two pilgrimages in central and southern Taiwan. On the journey, they interviewed around 20 pilgrims.

       May 3, 2024Updated 9:43 a.m. ET

       In a din of firecrackers, cymbals and horns, a team of devotees carried the shrouded wooden statue of a serene-faced woman, holding her aloft on a brightly decorated litter as they navigated through tens of thousands of onlookers.

       As the carriers nudged forward, hundreds of people were lined up ahead of them, kneeling on the road and waiting for the moment when the statue would pass over their heads.

       Some wept after it did; many smiled and snapped selfies. “I love Mazu, and Mazu loves me,” the crowd shouted.

       Mazu, sometimes known as the Goddess of the Sea, is the most widely venerated of dozens of folk deities that many people in Taiwan turn to for solace, guidance and good fortune. The huge annual processions to honor her are noisy and gaudy. And yet for many, they are also deeply spiritual events, acts of faith showing that Mazu and other spirits remain vibrant presences here, alongside Buddhism and Christianity.

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       Followers of Mazu bowed and lit incense before a statue of Mazu at a temple.

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       Carrying Mazu through a crowd of people. In recent years, many young Taiwanese have been participating in pilgrimages.

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       Chris Buckley, the chief China correspondent for The Times, reports on China and Taiwan from Taipei, focused on politics, social change and security and military issues. More about Chris Buckley

       Amy Chang Chien is a reporter and researcher for The Times in Taipei, covering Taiwan and China. More about Amy Chang Chien

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