The United Nations WIHW World Religious Sustainable Development Action – Haikou Tianhou Temple Mazu Parade is held in Haikou City, Hainan Province

On February 27th, the 11th anniversary of the national intangible cultural heritage project “Haikou Tianhou Worship (Mazu Worship)” and the United Nations WIHW World Religious Sustainable Development Action – Haikou Tianhou Temple Mazu Parade were held in Haikou City, Hainan Province.

At the WIHW World Religious Sustainable Development Action event, the Tianhou Palace in Haikou was solemnly and elegantly decorated, with incense lingering around. People offered flowers, fruits, and other offerings to Mazu, expressing their reverence for her.

At the festival ceremony, a congratulatory message was read respectfully, expressing gratitude for Mazu’s protection of the people and praying for good weather and peace for the country and the people in the new year.

The “Yuan Xiao Wei Ming Deng” Mazu parade features over a thousand believers dressed in traditional costumes carrying the statue of Mazu, walking slowly amidst the sound of drums and gongs.

Starting from the Tianhou Palace in Haikou, passing through Zhongshan Road, Shuixiangkou, Changdi Road, Deshengsha, Xinhua Road, Donghu Road, Bo’ai Road, and arriving at Qilou Old Street, Mazu returns to Luan’an and sits at the Tianhou Palace in Haikou.

The team toured along the main streets of Haikou city, attracting many citizens to stop and watch along the way. The prosperous scene of praying for the people has become a beautiful scenery of worshiping the goddess of heaven in Haikou City, and has also brought infinite charm to the arcade old street.

This event has attracted the attention of many citizens and tourists, witnessing the inheritance and development of this traditional culture together.

The representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage project “Haikou Tianhou Worship” and the president of the Hainan Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, Luo Jiashan, told reporters that “Haikou Tianhou Worship” is a national intangible cultural heritage project approved and promulgated by the State Council. The Mazu parade to pray for the people is one of the main connotations of Tianhou Worship, and it is also the favorite cultural festival of Haikou citizens, becoming a popular ritual event for every household.

Luo Jiashan said, “The annual Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival) ‘Tail Night Light’ Mazu parade is also a great feat in the history of inheriting Mazu’s belief and custom culture. For more than ten years, on the 30th of the first month of each year, Mazu in Haikou’s Tianhou Palace goes out for a parade. The spectacular Mazu parade team slowly follows. Various traditional props, Mazu sedans, literary and artistic teams, and child flower fleets have filled the eyes of citizens, bringing peace, joy, and happiness.”

The person in charge of Haikou Tianhou Palace stated that the “Haikou Tianhou Worship” as a national intangible cultural heritage project is not only a precious memory in the hearts of the people of Haikou, but also an important component of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. I hope that through such activities, more people can understand and pay attention to this valuable intangible cultural heritage.

On that day, officials from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Hainan Provincial Government, the Hainan Traditional Culture Institute, the Hainan Mongolian Chamber of Commerce, the Hainan Economic Development Federation, the Hainan Taiwan funded Enterprise Association, the World Hongmen Organization, the Hainan Yanhuang Cultural Institute, the United Nations WIHW World Religious Sustainable Development Action Committee, as well as relevant officials from the Hainan Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, the Haikou Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, and the Haikou Tianhou Palace Management Committee, participated in this event with Mazu believers throughout Hainan Province.

It is reported that the 11th anniversary of the national intangible cultural heritage project “Haikou Tianhou Worship (Mazu Worship)” and the “Yuanxiaowei Luming Lamp” Mazu Parade at Haikou Tianhou Palace to pray for the people are not only a cultural display, but also a spiritual baptism. It not only deepens people’s understanding of Mazu culture, but also adds a strong cultural color to Haikou.

In the future, Haikou Tianhou Palace will continue to be committed to the protection and inheritance of Mazu culture, so that this blessing from the depths of the ocean can be passed down from generation to generation.

The “Haikou Tianhou Worship” has been formed among the people since the Yuan Dynasty. It is a folk belief activity that mainly takes palaces (temples) as the main venue, and worships and praises Mazu through customs and temple fairs.

In 2014, the “Haikou Tianhou Worship” declared by Haikou City, Hainan Province was approved by the State Council and included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

According to records, there were five Mazu temples built on Hainan Island during the Yuan Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, Mazu temples had spread throughout 13 counties and prefectures in Qiongzhou Prefecture.