When it comes to the Goddess worshipped by most in Taiwan, it’s Matsu. Matsu is the Goddess of Sea, she protects people at sea. Because Taiwan is an island, a lot of people were fishermen in the past. When they had trouble at sea they would pray to Matsu. From then on, Matsu has become the most popular deity in Taiwan’s folk religion. If you have any problems like health, business, farming etc, you can all ask Matsu for help. This is why she’s the goddess worshipped by most people in Taiwan.
As the legend goes, Matsu’s real name is Lin Mo-Niang. At her birth, people reported a bright light in the northwestern sky, and the scent of perfume filled the room. She was given the name Mo (means silence) because as a newborn, she never cried. It is said that she showed great intelligence early so that her parents sent her to school when she was only eight years old. She took Refuge in Buddhism when she was ten years old. Later, she began to demonstrate her gift for healing and taught local people how to prevent diseases.
When Lin Mo-Niang was 16, she had a vision of her father and her elder brother caught in a storm while out at sea. It says that she herself was the one to save them from the sinking ship while she was in a dream state.
Around Matsu’s birthday, on the 23rd of the third month of the lunar calendar, thousands of followers of Matsu will have a pilgrimage around Taiwan for 8 days. The meaning is to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck to people.
