Mazu pilgrimage calendars in Taiwan

Two pilgrimages

The names Dajia and Baishatun identify different Mazu pilgrimage communities. Dajia’s procession leaves Zhenlan Temple, conventionally written Jenn Lann Temple in its English name, in Taichung. Its destination is Fengtian Temple in Xingang, Chiayi County. Baishatun’s journey begins at Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao, Miaoli County, and goes to Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Yunlin County. Each pilgrimage carries Mazu’s image from its home temple to another centre of worship and back again.

Baishatun is especially associated with the demands and uncertainty of walking. Its round trip covers roughly 400 kilometres, although the distance changes with the route. Devotees understand the movements of Mazu’s palanquin, the carrying chair that holds her image, as the goddess’s directions. The procession can change course, choose an unexpected stopping place or move at a different pace from the previous year.

Dajia follows a more settled itinerary, with scheduled overnight stops and ceremonies along the way. Baishatun fixes its principal appointments in advance while leaving much of the intervening journey open. The contrast affects both the experience of walking and the work of communities preparing to receive the pilgrims.

Annual schedules

The temples announce departure and return dates for each year. Divination blocks, paired wooden pieces cast to seek the deity’s approval, have a role in choosing the programme. A pilgrimage calendar then distinguishes departure, arrival at the destination, major ceremonies and homecoming.

The 2026 programmes show how the journeys fit together. All dates below are Gregorian dates in Taiwan.

At Baishatun, the incense vessel was scheduled to be opened on May 1, after the procession’s return. Homecoming and the completion of the incense rites therefore occupy separate places in the calendar.

Mazu’s widely observed birthday is the twenty-third day of the third lunar month, which falls on May 9 in 2026. The birthday celebration at Xingang on April 21 belongs to Dajia’s pilgrimage programme. The annual birthday supplies a religious setting for the season, while each temple’s pilgrimage has its own sequence and dates.

The journey

At Baishatun, preparations begin before the departure procession. The leading banner is raised and Mazu’s image is installed in her palanquin. These acts establish the travelling group’s ritual identity before it leaves the home temple. Carrying the image, following the banner and receiving the procession are different ways of participating in the same journey.

At Baishatun, jinxiang (进香), an incense pilgrimage, makes the relationship between the temples tangible. Incense fire is received at Chaotian Temple, enclosed in a vessel and carried home. The vessel’s later opening at Gongtian Temple completes another stage of the observance. The outward walk, worship at the destination and return with incense fire form a connected religious journey.

Pilgrimages also depend on the communities along their routes. Temples and households receive the procession, while volunteers provide food, drinking water, rest places and other support. Some people walk for days, others join for a shorter stretch, and many participate by caring for those on the road. This work links the appointed temple ceremonies with the daily needs of a large travelling community.