The origin of Mazu beliefs and customs

There are many legends about Mazu’s birth and death years and family history in historical materials:

The earliest existing document about Mazu was written by Liao Pengfei in the 20th year of Shaoxing (1150) in the Southern Song Dynasty. "Notes on the Reconstruction of the Shunji Temple in the Shengdun Ancestral Temple" says: "It is said that she is a goddess of heaven and earth. Her surname is Lin, and she is from Meizhou Island. She first practiced witchcraft and blessings, and she could predict people's misfortunes and blessings..."

Mazu was a witch during her lifetime. The article also mentions: In the fifth year of Xuanhe (1123), "Yundi sent an envoy to Korea on the way to the East China Sea. When the wind and waves were shaking, eight boats and boats collided with each other, and seven of them were overturned. The boat Dugong was on, there were The goddess climbed up the pole and danced like a whirl, and she got Anji..." The crew said that this was the appearance of the Meizhou goddess, so after Lu Yundi returned to China, he reported to the court to request the title, and the imperial edict was granted to Shunji Temple.

The Southern Song Dynasty Li Choufu's "Linghui Concubine Temple Records": "Concubine Lin was born in Meizhou on the Sea of ????Pu".

In "Puyang Bishi" by Li Junfu of the Southern Song Dynasty, "The goddess Lin of Meizhou is born with supernatural powers."

(Ming Dynasty) Zhang Xie's "A Study of Eastern and Western Oceans" "Tianfei lived in Meizhou Island in Puzhou for a long time. She was the sixth daughter of Lin Yuan, the king of Fujian in the Five Dynasties, and her mother was Wang. The concubine was born on March 23rd in the eighth year of Yuanyou in the Song Dynasty. On the day of birth, it turns purple, has auspicious light, and has a strange fragrance. When I was young, I understood the secret method and predicted that it would be a miracle.

(Ming Dynasty) Yan Congjian. "Shuyu Zhouzilu": "According to Tianfei, she is the daughter of Jiduxun of the Lin family in Putian. The mystery of the young contract predicts misfortunes and blessings. There was a clear response during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and a temple was erected in the state."

(Qing Dynasty) Yang Jun's "Meizhou Island Chronicles": "Meizhou is in the sea. Lin's daughter Lin, today's Princess Tianfei was born on her."

(Qing Dynasty) "Changle County Chronicle": "It is said that the Queen of Heaven's surname is Lin, the daughter of Jian Fu, the governor of Putian, who was born in the Five Dynasties At the end of the day, few people can know the blessings and misfortunes of others. He died after thirty years in the office. When you encounter the wind while sailing and pray for it, you will gain efficacious results."

"Putian Jiumu Lin Clan Genealogy" records that Mazu is the 22nd granddaughter of Lin Lu, Prince of Jin'an County.

From the Southern Song Dynasty By the Qing Dynasty, most historical records recognized that Tianfei's surname was Lin, that she was born on Meizhou Island, and that she had supernatural powers since childhood. Although her specific birthday is only found in "Xiyang Kao", it has long been regarded as Mazu's birthday by Mazu believers all over the world. Celebrations are held.

Students have pointed out that Mazu evolved from the Wuji belief in the Fujian and Yue areas, and absorbed other Han folk beliefs during its development. As its influence expanded, It also incorporated factors from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and finally gradually stood out from many sea gods and became the representative of Chinese sea gods.

Mazu belief and custom is a kind of normalization gradually formed from people's admiration for Mazu. Mazu, also known as Meizhou Mazu, was born in Meizhou, Putian, Fujian on the 23rd day of the third lunar month in 960 AD. , rescued fishing boats in distress, and also set fire to her house and used the firelight as a beacon to guide the straying merchant ships out of danger. On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in 987 AD, she sacrificed her young life for rescuing people at sea. In order to commemorate this beautiful, kind and helpful girl, the fishermen on the island built a temple on the island and worshiped her as the God of the Sea. They hoped that generations of generations would learn from Mazu’s spirit and do good deeds, and also hope that Mazu would continue to bless people’s safe navigation in 1123 AD. , because of protecting Lu Yundi on his mission to Korea, the imperial court at that time gave the "Shunji" temple title to Mazu Temple for the first time. Since then, Mazu has been praised as a heavenly concubine by successive courts for protecting the south-to-north grain transfer and Zheng He's voyages to the West. , Queen of Heaven, and Our Lady of Heaven were assassinated 36 times. With the development of the maritime industry and Chinese immigration, Mazu temples have spread all over the world. For example, the Portuguese name of Macau comes from the pronunciation of "Mazu Pavilion". For more than 1,000 years, Mazu belief and custom have evolved. The spirit of Meizhou Mazu Temple has spread to more than 20 countries and regions around the world. Today, it has more than 200 million believers and more than 5,000 Mazu temples, becoming an integral part of the cultural heritage of people in Mazu belief areas. The content included is explained, which is mainly composed of three series: sacrificial rituals, folk customs and stories and legends.

(1) Sacrificial rituals are divided into two types: family sacrifices and temple sacrifices. Family sacrifices include "boat sacrifices." "Zi Ma" worship, worshiping the sea, making offerings at home and hanging Mazu statues, etc. Palace and temple sacrifices include daily sacrifices and temple fair sacrifices. Among them, a sacrifice ceremony is held during temple fair sacrifices. The Mazu sacrifice ceremony was included in the national sacrifice ceremony of the Qing Dynasty in 1788. In addition, Meizhou Mazu Temple also regularly holds a series of temple fair activities throughout the year to commemorate Mazu’s birthday, commemorate Mazu’s ascension to heaven, cut fire to separate spirits, pay homage to ancestors and offer incense, Mazu parades, folk performances, etc.;

(2 ) Han folk customs mainly include acting to reward gods, Mazu Lantern Festival, thanking gods and worshiping gods, Mazu traveling lanterns, Mazu costumes, asking for divination with the Holy Grail, exchanging flowers for pregnancy, wearing sachets, banning arrests on birthdays, Mazu floats, door amulets, neck pendants, and engravings. Babysitting, Mazu's breast-dressing, etc.;

(3) Stories and legends refer to the process of inheritance of Mazu's beliefs and customs, leaving many touching stories and legends, including archives and historical materials, chronicles, memorials, inscriptions, and cliffs. Stone carvings, murals, plaques, couplets, poems, prose, calligraphy, pictures, operas, folk songs, etc.

Sacrifice rituals are divided into two types: family sacrifices and temple sacrifices. Family sacrifices include: ⑴ "Chunzai Ma" worship, which means fishermen and sailors worship Mazu statues on boats to pray for safe navigation. This is one of the most primitive forms of Mazu belief and custom.

⑵ Worshiping to the sea means that fishermen and boat people in Meizhou and other areas place offerings tables and offerings at the seaside or on the beach, facing the sea, and worshiping Mazu. ⑶ Worshiping at home means that fishermen and residents light incense and worship Mazu statues at their home shrines. ⑷ Hang a Mazu statue on the car to pray for safe entry and exit.

Palace and temple sacrifices are divided into daily sacrifices and temple fair sacrifices. Daily sacrifices are carried out by Mazu believers who go to Mazu temples to pay homage to the Mazu statue, which mainly includes presenting flowers, lighting incense, placing tributes, kneeling down and worshiping, burning firecrackers, burning gold and silk, and inscribing gold medals. Temple fairs hold sacrificial ceremonies. The sacrificial ceremony was formed in the 11th century AD and was included in the national sacrificial ceremony in 1788 AD. The scene is magnificent, solemn and grand. It includes: (1) The ritual process, which mainly includes the priests taking their seats, welcoming the gods, offering incense, reading blessings, performing three offerings, kneeling three times and knocking nine times, sending off the gods, etc. ⑵The officiant, the host of Meizhou Mazu Temple serves as the main priest, and the heads of Mazu branch temples around the world participate in the ceremony. ⑶Sacrificial utensils, the altar is equipped with candlesticks, incense burners, bells and drums, etc. ⑷Sacrifice, placed on the table, made of flour, mushrooms, fungus and other foods to imitate marine life and natural mountain scenery. ⑸The guard of honor consists of Qingdao flags, luanjia, antique weapons, etc. ⑹ Sacrifice music is performed by music students using 28 kinds of musical instruments such as suona, drums, chimes, harps, and flutes to play local tunes and tunes. ⑺In the sacrificial dance, the dancers hold phoenix feathers and crotch pipes, and adopt traditional opera dance steps such as cloud steps and overlapping steps.

The temple fairs of Meizhou Mazu Temple refer to specific festivals and major sacrificial activities, including: (1) Mazu’s birthday. Mazu’s birthday is celebrated every year on the 23rd day of the third lunar month. ⑵Mazu ascended to heaven. The death anniversary of Mazu is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month every year. ⑶Cut fire and separate spirits. When Mazu temples are built in various places to separate the gods, they must hold the statue to the Mazu Temple in Meizhou to hold the "incense and ashes" ceremony. ⑷ Pay homage to ancestors and offer incense. Mazu branch temples visit the Mazu ancestral temple in Meizhou at regular intervals to pay homage to their ancestors and offer incense. This is commonly known as "returning to one's parents' home". The number of people accompanying the pilgrims at one time can be as many as 7,000. ⑸Mazu parade. The golden body of Meizhou Mazu is paraded in temples on Meizhou Island, Taiwan, Kinmen, Macau and other places to receive worship. ⑹Folklore performances. The Meizhou Mazu Temple also performs folk performances such as dragon dance, lion dance, palm sedan chair, knife and sedan chair dance, parasol dance and other folk performances. Most of the performers are folk artists, and the number of participants can reach up to hundreds of thousands. The scene is spectacular.

The Han folk customs involving Mazu mainly include: 1. Acting to reward the gods. If there are celebrations or theatrical performances held in the Mazu temple, the Mazu statue must be invited to visit or performers from the theater troupe should be invited to "play the fairy" in front of the Mazu statue. ⑵Mazu Lantern Festival. Every year from the eighth to the eighteenth day of the first lunar month in Meizhou, every household respectfully invites the Mazu statue to participate in the Lantern Festival. ⑶Thank God and worship God. The family holds a ceremony to thank the heaven. Men, women, old and young dress uniformly and line up to the Mazu Temple to invite Mazu to participate. ⑷Mazu traveling lantern. Fishermen, farmers, citizens, etc. all carry "Mazu lanterns" around the festival night. ⑸Mazu clothing. Meizhou women usually wear sailboat-shaped buns on their heads, blue tops and red and black trousers to express their admiration for Mazu and their hope for the safe return of their families from the sea. ⑹The Holy Grail asks for divination. Use the wooden half-moon-shaped "Holy Grail" to pray to Mazu for solutions to difficult problems. ⑺Exchange flowers to seek pregnancy. Married women with no children in Meizhou exchange the flowers on the head of the Mazu statue to pray for pregnancy. ⑻Wear a sachet. Go to the Mazu Temple to pray for a small sachet to wear on your children to keep them safe. ⑼No arrests on birthdays. Meizhou fishermen voluntarily refrain from fishing around Mazu's birthday, which reflects the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. ⑽Mazu float. The floats decorated with stories about Mazu are in the Mazu parade. ⑾Door stickers. People put Mazu's talismans on their doors and wear jade around their necks. A jade statue of Mazu hangs around her neck. ⒀Entrust children to look after. If parents go out, entrust their children to the care of Mazu Temple. ⒁Mazu hangs her breasts. During Mazu's parade, believers hang gold, silver, or coins tied with red ropes around the neck of the Mazu statue.

In the process of inheriting Mazu’s beliefs and customs, many touching stories and legends have been left behind, including more than 4,000 documents and literary works on Mazu’s protection of merchant ships, protection of envoys, peace of sea pirates, and elimination of plagues. Including: Mazu archives, chronicles, memorials, inscriptions, cliff carvings, murals, plaques, couplets, poems, prose, calligraphy, pictures, operas, folk songs, etc. Folk customs include: celebrations at Mazu’s temple, drama performances or family ceremonies to thank the heavens, and ancestor worship ceremonies. Men, women and children line up to pay homage to Mazu. Fishermen, farmers, citizens, etc. carry Mazu lanterns around on festival nights; Meizhou women wear sailboat-shaped buns, blue tops and red and black pants to show their respect; they use wooden half-moon-shaped chalices to pray to Mazu for solutions. Solutions to difficult problems; women change the flowers on Mazu’s head to seek pregnancy; go to Mazu temples to pray for small sachets to wear on their children to keep them safe; fishermen do not go into the sea to fish around Mazu’s birthday, embodying the relationship between man and nature harmonious.

The belief and commemoration of Mazu has been deeply integrated into the lives of Chinese people and their descendants in coastal areas, and has become an important cultural link to the identity of this religious group. It plays a unique role in maintaining family harmony, social integration and promoting the spirit of universal love. Mazu beliefs and customs are also the unique spiritual home of the Chinese nation and a symbol of global Chinese cultural identity. The Chinese build Mazu temples in the countries where they live, and use this to practice the spirit of Mazu, get along well with the residents of the host countries, and create new homes.