Mazu Culture 妈祖文化

Every year on 23rd day of the third lunar month (this year, it was on 6 May), the birthday of Mazu, and on 9th day of the ninth lunar month, the anniversary of Mazu’s death, locals and thousands of overseas believers come to Meizhou Island in the Fujian Province of China and hold worshipping ceremonies.

Among the crowds of people there is usually a group of women whose clothes are particularly eye-catching. They wear tall, sail-shaped hairstyles and half-red, half-blue wide-legged trousers. People call them "Meizhou Women" and their outfits are said to be modelled on the costume Mazu used to wear. As Mazu is the goddess of the sea and protector of boats, her hairstyle is reminiscent of a sail, and the symbol of her identity as the Holy Mother in Heaven is the red outfit she wears when she flies through the sky. Since women in the human world are subordinate to her and therefore must not wear identical clothes, their trousers are only half red.

Mazu(959-987) is widely worshiped in the south-eastern coastal areas of China and neighbouring areas in Southeast Asia, especially Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, and Vietnam, all of which have strong sea-faring traditions, as well as migrant communities elsewhere with sizeable populations from these areas. Mazu also has a significant influence on East Asian sea culture, especially in China and Taiwan.

Over 1,000 years ago, as the legend goes, a beautiful young girl by the name of Lin Mo was born at Meizhou Bay in Putian, Fujian Province. Clever, brave and kind-hearted, Lin Mu could forecast the weather and was happy to help fishermen in distress at sea. She encouraged the people to conquer nature and defeat evil, so she was much loved and esteemed by the people in her hometown. Unfortunately she died an early death at only 28. She was so well loved by people that they believed she ascended to heaven and became an immortal at Meizhou Bay. Rulers of past imperial courts upheld her and granted her the titles of ‘Heavenly Lady’, ‘Heavenly Empress’, and ‘Holy Mother on Heaven’. Meizhou Island became the centre of worshipping Mazu.

Over times she had also been bestowed with a series of loveable and respected names such as ‘Goddess of the Sea’, ‘Goddess of the Straits’ and ‘Goddess of Peace of the Straits. With the people migrating abroad, people spread Mazu culture there. Later Meizhou Island has been reputed as ‘Oriental Mecca’.

In 2009, the Mazu belief and custom was designated as "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

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每年农历三月二十三日（今年阳历五月六日）妈祖诞辰与九月初九妈祖忌辰，当地与上千海外的信徒来到中国福建湄州岛参加祭拜仪式。

在所有团体中，有一组的妇女们的服装特别引人注目。她们梳船帆式发髻、半截红半截篮长裤。人们称她们为‘妈祖女’，而她们所穿的据说是妈祖所喜爱穿的服装。因为妈祖是海上保护神与航海员的保护者，她的发型就像船帆，她穿的裤子的红色代表了她升天时的‘天上圣母’的形象。因为人间的民众是她的臣民，不能穿与她所穿的同样的衣服，所以裤子的红色只能做到半截。

妈祖(959-987)在中国的东南沿海的信徒很多，尤其是在浙江、福建、台湾、广东、海南、与越南。这些地区有很强的海务传统，他们也有很大的移居外地的移民社群。妈祖对东亚，尤其是中国，包括台湾，的海洋文化的影响很大。

传说在千多年以前，一个出生于福建莆田湄州口的美丽的姑娘叫林默（林默娘）。她勇敢、善良，会预测天气，还乐于帮助在海上遇到问题的船民。她鼓励人们与自然斗争，战胜邪恶，所以很受到乡亲的爱戴与尊敬。很不幸，她在二十八岁就去世了。人们对她的敬爱令他们相信她死后升天，并在湄州湾口对面成为神仙。过去的帝皇也拜祭她并封她为‘天妃’，‘天后’，及‘天上圣母’等封号。湄州也就成为祭拜妈祖的中心。

随着时间的过去，她被给予各样敬爱的称呼，例如，‘海上保护神’，‘海峡保护神’，‘天上圣母’。随着当地人民移居外地，妈祖文化也跟着散播到那里。后来，湄洲就成为了‘东方的麦加’。

2009年，妈祖信仰与风俗被联合国教科文化组织列为‘人类无物质文化遗产’。