:''Tin Hau redirects here. For other meaning of Tin Hau, see
Tin Hau (disambiguation)''
Clothed statues of Matsu
'Matsu' (), also spelled 'Mazu', is the
Taoist goddess of the
Sea who protects
fishermen and
sailors, and is revered as the patron saint who protects East Asians who are associated with the ocean.
Her mortal name is 'Lin Moniang' ().
She is widely worshipped in the south-eastern coastal areas of
China and neighbouring areas, especially
Zhejiang,
Fujian,
Taiwan,
Guangdong, and
Vietnam, all of which have strong sea-faring traditions, as well as migrant communities elsewhere with sizeable populations from these areas.
Names
★ Popular names:
★
★ Matsu (媽祖, literally "Mother-Ancestor"), or Matsu-po (媽祖婆, "Elder Lady Matsu")
★
★ Tian Hou (天后, literally "Heavenly Empress" or "Heavenly Queen") or ''Thiên Hậu'' in Vietnamese
★
★ Tian Fei (天妃, literally "Heavenly Princess Consort")
★
★ A-Ma (阿媽, "Grandmother")
★
★ ''Tianshang Shengmu'' or ''Tianhou Shengmu'' (天上聖母, 天后聖母, both meaning "Heavenly Holy Mother") or ''Thiên Hậu Thánh Mẫu'' in Vietnamese
★ Official titles:
★
★ In Southern Song Danasty, she was given the first Title as "Princess of Supernatural Favour" in A.D. 1155 by
Emperor Gaozong of Song.
★
★ In the
Yuan Dynasty, she was officially the "Protector of the Empire and the Brilliantly Outstanding Heavenly Princess" (護國明著天妃 Huguo Mingzhu Tianfei).
★
★ In Ming Dynasty, she was given as "Holy Mother of Heaven Above" in 1417 by the
Yongle Emperor.
★
★ In the
Qing Dynasty, she was made the "Heavenly Empress" (天后;
Mandarin: Tiān Hòu;
Cantonese: ''Tin Hau'). Her last imperial title was given as "Holy Mother in Heaven" in 1839 by the
Daoguang Emperor.
The person
According to legend, Lin Moniang was born in
960 (during the early
Northern Song Dynasty) as the seventh daughter of Lin Yuan (林愿) on
Meizhou Island,
Fujian. She did not cry when she was born, and thus her
given name means "Silent Girl."
There are many legends about her and the sea.
Although she started
swimming relatively late at the age of 15, she soon became an excellent swimmer. She wore red standing on the shore to guide fishing boats home, even in the most dangerous and harsh weather.
According to one legend, Lin Moniang's father and brothers were fishermen. One day, a terrible
typhoon arose while they were out at sea, and the rest of her family feared that those at sea had perished. In the midst of this storm, depending on the version of the legend, she either fell into a
trance while
praying for the lives of her father and brothers or dreamed of her father and brothers while she was sleeping. In either the trance or the dream, her father and brothers were drowning, and she reached out to them, holding her brothers up with her hands and her father up with her mouth. However, Moniang's mother now discovered her and tried to wake her, but Moniang was in such a deep trance or dream that it seemed like she was dead. Moniang's mother, already believing the rest of their family dead, now broke down, crying, believing that Moniang had also just died. Hearing her mother's cries, in pity, Moniang gave a small cry to let her mother know she was alive, but in opening her mouth, she was forced to drop her father. Consequently, Moniang's brothers returned alive (sadly without their father) and told the other villagers that a
miracle had happened and that they had somehow been held up in the water as a typhoon raged.
There are at least two versions of Lin Moniang's death. In one version, she died in
987 at the age of 28, when she climbed a mountain alone and flew to
heaven and became a goddess. Another version of the legend says that she died at age 16 of exhaustion after swimming far into the ocean trying to find her lost father and that her corpse later washed ashore in
Nankan Island of the
Matsu Islands.
''Lin Moniang'' (2000), a minor Fujianese
TV series, is a dramatization of the life of Matsu as a mortal.
The goddess
After her death, the families of many fishermen and sailors began to pray to her in honor of her acts of courage in trying to save those at sea. Her worship spread quickly. Much of her popularity in comparison to other sea deities resulted from her role as a
compassionate motherly protector, in contrast to
authoritarian father figures like the
Dragon Kings. She is usually depicted wearing a red robe, and sitting on a throne. As often happens to revered folk heroes in Chinese culture, she became an empress figure during the
Yuan Dynasty.
Worship
Matsu statue at Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu, Los Angeles
Starting from
Fujian, worship of Matsu spread to the neighbouring coastal provinces of
Zhejiang and
Guangdong, and thence to all coastal areas of
mainland China. With migration, it further spread to
Taiwan,
Vietnam,
Ryukyu,
Japan, and
South East Asia. Today, worship of Matsu is also found in other countries with sizeable populations from these regions. In total, there are around 1,500 Matsu temples in 26 countries of the world.
Fujian
In
Putian, the legendary birthplace of Matsu, there are hundreds of temples dedicated to the goddess, including about 20 on
Meizhou island alone.
Elsewhere in Fujian, there are about 70 temples dedicated to
Matsu, mostly concentrated in the coastal areas.
Heavenly Empress Temple-Meizhou Ancestral Temple (天后宮湄洲祖廟) is on her native Meizhou Island. There is also a major temple in
Makung, on the
Pescadores Islands.
Taiwan
There are about 800 to 1000 Taiwanese temples dedicated entirely or--more often--partly to Matsu. The oldest one is
Great Queen of Heaven Temple (),
Tainan City.
Chenlan Temple ()
[1] in
Tachia,
Taichung County, is the most famous Matsu temple in Taiwan, and an annual pilgrimage takes place there each spring.
Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) of Peikang Township (北港鎮) in
Yunlin is another popular temple of Matsu in Taiwan.
Hong Kong
In
Hong Kong, around 60 temples are dedicated, at least partially to Tin Hau. The temple in the Tin Hau area, east of
Victoria Park, in
Eastern District, on
Hong Kong Island, has given its name to the area and to
the MTR station serving it (
Island Line). The ''Tin Hau Temple'' is one of the
declared monuments of Hong Kong. Because of their historic significance, many Tin Hau Temples in Hong Kong were graded historic buildings.
[2]
See
Places of worship in Hong Kong for a more detailed listing.
Macau
Macau has three Tin Hau temples (one per
Coloane,
Macau Peninsula, and
Taipa). The name ''Macau'' is thought to be derived from the Templo de A-Má (Temple of A-Ma) (媽閣廟, Cantonese Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6, local pronunciation: Maa5 Gok3 Miu6 or Maa5 Gok3 Miu5), a still-existing landmark built in 1448 dedicated to the goddess Matsu.
Mainland China
Aside from Fujian, there are more than 40 temples dedicated to Matsu in
Guangdong and
Hainan, and more than 30 in
Jiangsu and
Zhejiang. In
northern China, there are large Matsu temples in
Tianjin,
Weihai,
Yingkou,
Qinhuangdao,
Qingdao,
Changdao Islands (also named "Temple Islands" after the Matsu temple there), and
Penglai.
In
Nanjing, the Tian Fei Palace was built by the
Yongle Emperor in the
Ming Dynasty, at the instigation of Admiral
Zheng He after returning from his first expedition. Before and after each expedition,
Zheng He would worship at the temple for Matsu's protection. Because it was a state temple built by the Emperor, this temple was the largest and enjoyed the highest status of all Matsu temples in the country. The temple was largely destroyed by Japanese bombings in
1937, but is currently being rebuilt.
In
Shanghai, historically here were three principal Tian Hou Temples. During the
Qing Dynasty, it was customary for diplomats departing by sea to worship at the Tian Hou Palace in the old city. All of these were progressively destroyed. The last, on the banks of the
Suzhou Creek, was moved to
Songjiang. This temple is now dedicated to the "Matsu of the
Huangpu River". The
City God Temple in the old city is also partially dedicated to Matsu.
Malaysia
Malaysia has a long history of Taoist religion ever since the Chinese from
Southern China settled in
South East Asia region. The famous
Thean Hou Temple(Chinese:马来西亚吉隆坡天后宫) situated in the heart of
Kuala Lumpur, Capital of
Malaysia is a famous tourist destination in
Asia. Few tenths thousand of other temples and statues are found throughout the country.
Every year, the
Nine Emperor Gods Festival is celebrated heavily especially in
Penang; and the Birthday of Ma Zu celebrated throughout the country.
A mega project - building the world tallest Ma Zu statue at
Northernmost tip of Borneo,
Kudat officially launched by the leader and people of
Sabah . The statue is measured at 10-storey high is in the process of completion. The new statue will draw millions of tourists to the country every year. It is seen as an icon of worship, similarly to the
statue of Christ in
Rio de Janeiro.
Thailand
In
Thailand, there are a lots of Matsu temples too, especially in cities near the sea such as Bangkok, Chonburi, Pattani, and Phuket.
Many Thai Chinese worship the goddess, and some visit Fujian, China to worship her at her place of origin.
United States
Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu
Matsu has gained popularity in the west as well. Many temples are dedicated to Matsu in
Chinatowns in the
United States. The oldest Taoist temple in the United States,
Tin How Temple in
San Francisco, built in
1852, is dedicated to Matsu. Another Matsu temple that has gained popularity in the west is located in
Los Angeles, where many South East Asians are known to reside in or nearby. Known as ''Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu'' and home to the Camau Association of America, a Chinese/Vietnamese/
Teochew benevolent association, it has become an immensely popular tourist attraction in Chinatown after being completed on
September 5,
2005 after two years of building and an investment of around $2m. It features such attrtactions as annual 24-hour lion dances and a legal
firecracker display on
Chinese New Year's Eve.
Festival of Matsu
Her birthday-
festival is on the twenty-third day of the third lunar month of the
Chinese calendar. It falls in late April or early May in the
Gregorian calendar.
★ 2001:
April 16
★ 2002:
May 5
★ 2003:
April 24
★ 2004:
May 11
★ 2005:
May 1
★ 2006:
April 20
★ 2007:
May 9
★ '2008:
April 28'
★ 2009:
April 18
★ 2010:
May 6
See also
★
Chinese mythology
★
Tin Hau (MTR) - a MTR station in Hong Kong
★
Malaysian Chinese Gods
★
Guan Yin
References
1. Chenlan Temple (鎮瀾宮)
2. List of Graded Historic Buildings in Hong Kong(as at 6 Jan 2007), by the Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong.
External links
★
A statue photo
★
Biography of Matsu and celebrations of her festival (in
Traditional Chinese)
★
Chua Ba Thien Hau, Los Angeles (Description)
★
妈祖信仰与海外闽南人的“神缘”
★
Taiwan inside to discover Taiwan
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
