Historical pictures of the origin of A-Ma

Mazu Pavilion

Detailed address: Southeast of Macau

Attraction introduction:

In Macau, Mazu Pavilion is an important attraction.

It is located in the southeast of Macau, close to the mountains and the sea. Surrounded by ancient cypresses and pines, the magnificent Chinese classical architecture is very eye-catching.

The cornices are upturned, the beams are carved and painted, the stone lions guard the door, and the pagodas in the pavilion are stacked.

The banner on the temple door is engraved with the words "Mazu Pavilion" in regular script in gold, and on both sides are the couplets "De Zhou Huayu, nourishing the people", praising Mazu's divine power to protect the people.

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?Mazu Pavilion is one of the most famous places of interest in Macau. It has been in existence for more than 500 years. It is the oldest of the three major Zen monasteries in Macau and is located in the southeast of Macau. Fang was built in 1488, during the Ming Dynasty.

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?Mazu Pavilion is commonly known as Tianhou Temple. According to legend, Tianhou is a native of Putian, Fujian, also known as Niangma. She can predict good and bad luck and often appears at sea after death to help merchants and fishermen eliminate disasters. To solve the problem and turn danger into safety, the Fujian people and local residents *** built a temple at the current site to worship.

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?Enter the temple gate and enter the archway.

There is a "Stone Hall" with a stone statue of Mazu and a pair of couplets on both sides.

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?Meizhou Mountain has been victorious for thirty-six days.

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?It can be seen from the meaning of the couplet.

The Mazu worshiped here comes from Meizhou, Putian, Fujian.

In the early years of Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, there was a book called "Macau Chronicles", which described the Mazu Pavilion: "It is said that during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, a huge ship from Fujian was hit by a hurricane and was seriously damaged.

I saw the goddess standing on the side of the mountain, and the boat was settled.

A temple was built to worship Tianfei, and the place was named Niangma Pavilion.

Niangma means Tianfei in Fujian. Also.

"Although this story is not new, it clearly shows that the temple was built by Fujian people.

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?There is also a folk legend that businessmen from Putian, Fujian, Mazu’s hometown, sailed to Macau to do business. They suddenly encountered a huge storm on the way. In despair, these Putian merchants sailed to Macau to do business. People naturally thought of the goddess Mazu in their hometown, so everyone knelt down on the boat and prayed for Mazu to show mercy and save them from the disaster.

Sure enough, Mazu appeared, the wind and waves gradually receded, and they were out of danger.

In order to thank Mazu for rescuing the poor, they raised funds to build the Mazu Pavilion near the sea in Macau.

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? Legend has it that the earliest Mazu Pavilion in Macau was built by people from Putian, Fujian. There is also a folk story.

In the Ming Dynasty, there was a man from Putian, Fujian Province who was generous and generous. After making money in business, he was often able to help his fellow villagers, and he also did many charity projects in the village, which earned him a good reputation among the people.

Once during the typhoon season, he was in a hurry to transport goods to Macau for business reasons. Before the ship was sailing, an old woman asked to go with her on the ship. The ship owner felt that since she was from Putian, she could not refuse.

So he agreed to let her go with the ship to Macau.

After sailing, it was unexpectedly smooth. It was really smooth sailing. We braved the wind and waves and arrived at the port where the Mazu Pavilion in Macau is today overnight.

The old woman smiled kindly and thanked her, then slowly left the boat and went ashore.

After she landed, she walked as if she were flying. When she arrived at the current location of the Mazu Pavilion temple, she suddenly disappeared.

Putian people’s minds suddenly brightened. Could this old woman be the incarnation of Mazu? ?

It was her presence on the boat that made his trip so smooth.

So he funded the construction of a Mazu Pavilion at the place where the old lady suddenly disappeared, and thanked Mazu for her protection.

This is the earliest prototype of Mazu Pavilion in Macau today.

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?More than four hundred years ago, the Portuguese arrived in Macau and landed on the promontory opposite the temple. They noticed a temple and asked the residents about the local name and history. The residents mistakenly thought it referred to a temple, so they called it "A-Ma". The Portuguese transliterated it into "MACAU", which became the origin of the Portuguese name of Macau.

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?Every year during the Spring Festival and March 23rd of the lunar calendar, the mother’s birthday is the time when the incense in Mazu Pavilion is at its peak.

Starting from midnight on New Year’s Eve, many faithful men and women come to worship the gods and pray for blessings. The temple is bustling inside and outside. Before and after the birthday, a large shed will be set up in the open space in front of the temple as a temporary stage to perform Shensu opera