Taipei, July 11 (CNA) A statue of the sea goddess Mazu has completed a 13,000-kilometer journey from Cape Town to Yunlin County, returning home to Beigang Chaotian Temple for the first time in nine years.
The Cape Town Mazu had come back to Taiwan to perform "Yezu" (謁祖), a type of pilgrimage where an enshrined icon revisits its original temple in a ceremony featuring lion dances and fireworks.
Wei Yu-hsun (韋佑勳), chairman of Mar Tzu Temple Cape Town, said temple staff had asked the icon in mid-February if she wished to visit to perform Yezu, with the statue expressing agreement.
While COVID-19 flight changes and cancelations created some uncertainty around the trip, the Cape Town Mazu eventually arrived safely in Taiwan on July 6, Wei said.
According to Wei, the Cape Town Mazu has not performed Yezu since 2002, one year after the South African temple was built.
Taiwanese ex-pats, fishermen, and religious acolytes in South Africa founded the Cape Town temple by asking the Beigang Mazu to share her spirit and power, Wei said.
Wei added that the temple was also active in the local community, working with charity groups to serve free meals, and donating supplies to a nursing home.
In addition to Cape Town, the Beigang Mazu has formed the genesis of temples in more than 20 countries including Japan, the United States, Australia, and Malaysia, according to Beigang Chaotian Temple.
Mazu, also known as Tian Hou (Queen of Heaven), is a deity who has been worshipped for her protection of fishermen and seafarers in the Chinese community since at least the 12th century.
Over the centuries, belief in Mazu spread throughout China's coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities, eventually reaching Taiwan via Chinese settlers during the late Ming Dynasty.
