2026 Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage Looks Set To Break Records
Weeks ahead the 2026 Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage, excitement is building. Events in the run-up to the multi-day parade have seen big turnouts, and the registration for this year's procession could break records.
**Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage Draws Crowds in Kaohsiung**
REPORTER:
Devotees of the Sea Goddess Mazu gather early Sunday morning in the southern city of Kaohsiung for a special event. One of the most revered statues of the goddess has come here from its home temple in Miaoli around 200km away. Over two days, this statue, the Baishatun Mazu, has been paraded around for a two-day tour of blessings.
REPORTER:
Today, the final day of the event, this statue and a local statue of the goddess will make the rounds of the community together, and people have come from far away to get here.
Worshipper:
My husband and friends all follow [this event]
and gave me the info.
We drove out from the city center
at five in the morning [to get here].
REPORTER:
Drums gongs and cymbals follow the visiting goddess’ pink palanquin, shouldered by a team of men.
REPORTER:
A highlight for many is to bow down on the road and let Mazu pass over them—an act thought to bring blessings and protection.
REPORTER:
Every aspect of the event is filled with both excitement and reverence: even the cleanup crew following the procession and sweeping up debris left from exploding firecrackers has a sacred role to play.
Volunteer:
We are all children of Mazu.
[We] take care of the environmental aspects
so after they set off firecrackers
our team comes right away to clean up.
REPORTER:
But in terms of religious fervor, today’s procession is just a warm-up: the Baishatun Mazu statue’s main act for the year is still a few weeks away, when hundreds of thousands follow the statue on a 400 km circuit around central Taiwan. This year’s grand parade starts April 12, just before midnight. And already, excitement is building.
REPORTER:
Since registration opened last Wednesday, over 300,000 people have signed up—already very close to breaking the record-setting attendance at last year’s procession. This footage from Friday shows a 1 and a half km-long line of people waiting to add their name to the list of pilgrims. And with a cutoff date of April 9, there’s still plenty of time for a new record. Faith in the Sea Goddess runs deep in Taiwan, and one of the biggest annual expressions of this faith—the great Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage—will soon be underway.
Yuan Tuan and John Van Trieste for TaiwanPlus.
