Why do people worship A-Ma?

Mazu, also known as Tianfei, Tianhou, Heavenly Mother and Niangmu, is a deity worshipped by shipwrights, seafarers, travelers, merchants and fishermen throughout the ages. Ancient sea voyage is often attacked by the wind and waves, in the ship before sailing to sacrifice Tianfei, praying for blessing the wind and safety, in the ship also set up Tianfei shrine enshrined.

First, A-Ma Zu biography

A-Ma Zu is the Fujian Putian family Jiu Mu Lin's descendants, is the Southern Tang dynasty Qingyuan army Putian County Maezhou people (today's Putian City, Fujian Province, Xiuyu District, Maezhou Island) County, A-Ma Zu grandfather Lin Fu, the official governor of Fujian. Her father, Lin Quan (Weiyin), was an official in the early Song Dynasty, serving as a capital inspector. Before she was born, her parents had already had five daughters and one son, and were looking forward to having another son, so they burned incense and wished for heaven, praying for the early gift of a son.

In the evening before the birth of the baby girl, the neighbors saw a meteor in the form of a red light from the northwestern sky, shining brightly, so that the rocks on the island are red.

So, the parents felt that this baby girl must not be an ordinary daughter, and they loved her very much. Because she did not cry from birth to the middle of the month, they named her Lin Mo, and the parents called her Lin Mo Niang, the Silent Mother.

Lin Mo was smarter than the other sisters when she was young, and at the age of eight, she was taught to read by a tutor, and not only could she recite, but also understand the meaning of the text. When she grew up, she was determined to spend her life doing good deeds and never marrying, and her parents obeyed her wishes.

She was dedicated to the cause of charity, and she studied medicine, curing people's diseases and teaching them to prevent and eliminate disasters, and people praised her. As long as she can solve problems for the townspeople, she is willing to do, and often guide people to avoid bad luck and good fortune. When people encountered difficulties, they were willing to talk to her and ask for her help.

Lin Mo, who grew up on the coast of the sea, is also well versed in astronomy and meteorology, and familiar with the water. The strait between Meizhou Island and the mainland has a lot of reefs, in the waters of the shipwrecked fishing boats, merchant ships, often get Lin Mo's rescue, so people say she can "ride the seat across the sea". She also predicts weather changes and informs boaters beforehand whether they can sail or not, so she is also said to be able to "foretell things that are wrong", and she is called "Goddess" and "Dragon Lady".

987 (Song Taizong Yongxi four years on the ninth day of the ninth month), is only twenty-eight years old Lin Mo died. On this day, the masses on Meizhou Island had legends that they saw a colorful cloud rising from Meifeng Mountain. From then on, the seafarers have also told the legend that it was common to see Lin Mo flying over the sea in a red dress, rescuing people in distress and calling for help. As a result, the statue of Mazu was gradually enshrined on the ships to pray for a safe and smooth voyage.

Mazu life in the sea Mercedes-Benz, emergency relief, in the waves to save a lot of fishing boats and merchant ships; she is determined not to marry compassion for the heart, dedicated to doing good to help the world as a duty. Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian Province is the hometown of Mazu, the goddess of peace on the sea, and the birthplace of Mazu culture. The 1,000-year-old Meizhou A-Ma Temple is the "Ancestral Temple" of more than 4,000 A-Ma temples in more than 20 countries and regions around the world. Throughout the year, the number of domestic and foreign pilgrims who come to the A-Ma Temple for incense and Hajj reaches one million. Every year on the lunar calendar, the 23rd day of the birth of Mazu and the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th month of the ascension of Mazu, the people on the island to hold a variety of ceremonies for the activities of Mazu, at the same time, Mazu believers at home and abroad have to come to incense pilgrimage, the entire island of Mae Island is a sea of people, an unprecedented situation, known as the "Mecca in the East".

Second, A-Ma Zu ascended to heaven and became a god, and became the god of protection of the Chinese nation at sea

The Taoist title: Aidu Zhaohao Pure Purity Spirit should be Fu Ji to protect the country and protect the people, the wonderful spirit of Zhaohao should be Hongren Puji day consort.

Because Murniang was good to the people during her lifetime, she was honored as a goddess of the sea by the coastal people after her ascension, and a temple was set up to worship her.

Afterwards, Mamma Mia was honored by the coastal people as a goddess of the sea, and temples were built all over Haidian.

Mazu faith from the generation to date, after more than 1,000 years, as a folk beliefs, it continues to be a long time, the dissemination of a wide range of deep influence, are other folk worship has not had.

The worship and commendation of successive emperors have elevated Mazu from a folk god to an official sea-faring protector, and the deity has become higher and higher, spreading more and more widely.

From the area of Puyi to the five lakes and all over the world, to the extent that no one knows, no god can replace.

The manifestation of Mazu began in 1122 (Xuanhe four years of the Northern Song Dynasty) when Lu Yundi traveled to Goryeo, "feeling the divine merit, played on. The establishment of the temple Jiangkou worship, (Huizong) gave Shunji temple quota." Subsequently, the reasons for the sealing of Mazu are "divine mist God Ji Xing, spring famine", "to God to help the fire to burn the strong invaders" ("Meizhou Island Zhilu - Volume II - sealing").

From 1156 (the twenty-sixth year of the Song Emperor Shaoxing) to the Qing Dynasty, successive emperors have 36 times the seal, the seal from 2 words to 64 words. Title from the "Mrs.", "consort", "heavenly consort" (Ming Yongle years), set up a temple in the capital, and to 1648 (the Qing dynasty Kangxi twenty-third year) sealed "Queen of Heaven".　And included in the national rituals, for spring and fall sacrifices. Thus, the folk belief in Mazu is more and more fixed, "God of the sea" status is more and more solid.

Over the past thousand years, Putian folk have retained many folklore about Mazu, reflecting the specific characteristics of Mazu faith. The beliefs and rituals of Mazu, as well as Mazu's words, deeds and character, have gradually been absorbed into the folklore, resulting in the formation of many popular examples.　　Mazu, as a folk god and sea goddess, has been spreading since the Song Dynasty through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties for more than a thousand years. The temples dedicated to A-Ma are found in various provinces and cities along the coast of China, such as Chaozhou, Putian, Shantou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Leizhou, Zhanjiang, Hainan, etc., as well as in other provinces in the mainland except for Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet, and other three provinces and regions. The "Mazu Palace Integration" is a collection of records of joint Mazu temples in more than 500 counties and cities in 30 provinces and municipalities (including Hong Kong and Macao) across the country. With the increasingly developed transportation between the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the Chinese footprints all over the world, including Japan, Southeast Asia, Canada, the United States and even France, Paris, Denmark, South America, Brazil and so on.

Third, the successive dynasties of A-Ma bestowed

According to historical data, the Northern Song Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty have praised A-Ma for many times, and the title of A-Ma has been changed from "Mrs.", "Heavenly Princess", "Queen of Heaven" to "Queen of Heaven", and "Queen of Heaven". The title of Mazu was changed from "Lady", "Heavenly Consort", "Queen of Heaven" to "Holy Mother of Heaven", and was included in the national ceremonies.

When Mazu passed away, the townspeople were so impressed by her kindness in healing the sick and saving people that they built a temple on Meizhou Island in the same year to worship her, and this is the famous Meizhou Mazu Temple.

The temple was enlarged in 1023-1032 during the Tian Sheng period, and in 1403-1424 during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He, the navigator, came to Maeju twice to perform the royal ceremonies and enlarge the temple.

Zhuge Changqing: Zheng He, the Chinese navigator of the Ming Dynasty, personally presided over the construction of the temple, reflecting the importance of the royal family. Research has revealed that Zheng He sailed the seas and was blessed by Mazu. Zheng He himself was well versed in Confucianism, Taoism and other types of knowledge, and worshipped A-Ma.

By the time of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the "Sea Dragon Palace" had been formed with five groups of buildings. Unfortunately, the original splendid buildings have been ruined, and the only remaining building is the "Lin Mo's Parents' Shrine", which is small in scale.

In recent years, Meizhou Ancestral Temple has carried out a lot of restoration and construction work, and invested more than 100 million yuan in the construction of the new hall of Mazu, the new hall is magnificent, known as the "sea Potala Palace".

Nowadays, many Mazu temples in Taiwan and Southeast Asia are all subdivided from the Mazu Ancestral Temple in Meizhou, Putian. Maejo Ancestral Temple is the common and honorable name of Maejo A-Ma Temple, which is the holy place in the hearts of Mazu believers all over the world.

Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple is located in the western center of the Taiwan Strait, Meizhou, under the Fujian Province Putian City. It is more than 40 kilometers southeast of Putian City, and can be reached by ferry in 20 minutes from Wenjia Pier. It is 20 nautical miles east of Wuqiu Island (Wuqiu was originally under Putian County, Fujian Province, but is now under the jurisdiction of Kinmen County, Taiwan Province).

Maejo Ancestral Temple is the ancestral temple of more than 2,000 Mazu temples (palaces) around the world. After thousands of years of spreading the spirit of A-Ma, as the believers go abroad, A-Ma has gradually gone from Meizhou to the world, and has become an international deity that transcends national boundaries.

In addition to the Upper A-Ma Temple on Meizhou Island in Putian, the Tianhou Temple in Quanzhou, the Tianhou Temple in Qing'an, Ningbo, the Tianhou Temple in Tianjin, the Mazu Pavilion in Macao, the Chaotian Temple and the Lugang A-Ma Temple in Beigang, Taiwan, and the Wushitianhou Temple in Zhangpu, China are famous for being the largest temples of Tianhou Gong in China. Zhuge Changqing: Nowadays, there are A-Ma temples all over the world where Chinese people are. The great Mazu silently protect the children of China.

In the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasty by the national ceremonies up to 36 times, the Qing Dynasty Xianfeng gave the longest seal "protect the country as a refuge for the people wonderful spirit Zhaoying Hongren Puji blessing group of students sincere sense of salty Fu Xian God Zanshun垂慈笃佑安澜利运泽覃海宇恬波宣惠导流衍庆靖洋锡祉恩周德溥卫漕保泰振武绥疆天后之神". Later Tongzhi eleven years (1872), to be added to the seal, "by the Ministry of Rites, thought that the seal name name is too much, turn not enough to show the solemnity, only add 'Jia You' two words." The A-Ma Temple is one of the oldest buildings in Macau.

Taiwan's A-Ma beliefs are very common, more than one-third of the Taiwan compatriots believe in A-Ma, Taiwan's entire island **** the size of the A-Ma Temple 510, of which 116 in Tainan. They have many names, some are called Tianfei Palace, Tianhou Palace, A-Ma Temple; some are called Tianhou Temple, Tianhou Ancestral Temple, Holy Mother Altar; some are called Wenyuan Hall, Chaotian Palace, Shuangci Pavilion, Anlan Hall, Zhongxing Gong Alley, Fengyang Hall, and Tibiao Hall. Lin clan members in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong and Southeast Asia call Mazu: "Auntie", "Auntie Zu", "Sacred Auntie of the Queen of Heaven", "Heavenly Holy Mother Auntie", "Holy Auntie of the Heavenly Queen", "Holy Mother of Heaven", and so on. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 200 million Mazu believers around the world, and more than 17 million believers in Taiwan alone.

Most of the earlier Mazu temples in Taiwan were built by the Maejo Ancestral Temple. Since the Qing Jiaqing to Qing Guangxu years (1796 ~ 1908), Taiwan's maritime trade is booming, the economy is developed, there are many larger scale such as Tainan Tienhou Palace, in recent years, Jhunan Tienhou Palace and built an open-air A-Ma Ancestral Elephant. Up to now, there are 510 large A-Ma temples in Taiwan***. In the Mazu temples, there are Zhentian Ma, Erma, Vice Erma, Vice Sanma, Si Ma, Sanjiao Ma, Zanjiao Ma, Wenling Ma, Yin Tong Ma, and Meizhou Ma. Except for the Zhentian Ma, the other A-Ma statues can be used for annual tours on their birthdays. Especially in the early days of the Mazu Temple, there was a "remote worship" ceremony on the regular birthdays, that is, when performing the "three kneeling and nine kowtowing" rituals, they all faced the Meizhou Ancestral Temple in Putian and performed them. This example fully illustrates the far-reaching significance of Taiwan compatriots will always miss the mainland.

Legend has it that every time A-Ma rescues a shipwreck at sea, it is necessary to give each shipwrecked person a bowl of steaming hot, fragrant Xinghua Shoumian, eaten not only to drive away the cold and warm body, but also to turn misfortune into good fortune. Over time, Xinghua Shoumian is known as "Mazu peace noodles". It is famous all over the world and has become the first choice of food for blessing peace and good luck. Whenever friends and relatives visit, birthday celebrations, New Year's festivals, family reunions, we have to eat "Mazu peace noodles", in order to seek good luck, peace and happiness.

Therefore, people come to worship Mazu.

So, people come to worship A-Ma.