熱血背包客莊ㄟ

(Matsu Pilgrimage) 

Maybe, I need a rest. Without any fruits of hard labor, my enthusiasm dissipated over time. On a normal April day in Taiwan, a group of people, about 20 thousand, prepared for one of the top three religious events of the world listed by Discovery— Matsu Pilgrimage. This peregrination lasted 9 days across over 4 counties with the distance of 300 kilometers, approximate to 186 miles. This international event always attracts more than millions of people to come. Perhaps, this 9 days tour could brought me some, so I followed with Matsu for the journey on my feet. Away from the city and heading into the hug of country side, I felt the slow path leisure. I appreciate Nature. Wildlife suffering from urbanization, freely wandered around the fields without disturbance coming from human activities or industrialization. Migratory birds chasing the sunshine were delighted to enjoy the delicacies located in lakes or forests. They were not just eating; they were appreciating arts in term of food satisfying every salivating beak, immersing in this peaceful wild land. Forests, threatened by logging in order to build skyscrapers replacing the primate canopy across the sky, could stay in peace. This was like an ecological adventure— real experiences absent in textbooks. Smell the aroma by breeze coming through my faces, and see the leaves accompanied by glisten sunshine projecting waving shadow from silent blue sky to vital verdant grass. The splash of rivers crossed through the bedrock. Every moment on the route brought me personally sensory stimulation seared in my mind, forming not a picture but reality about recognization of Nature. The mainstream of modern society is capitalism, and rapid development makes human reluctant to look around and stay clam, however. I stick into this torrent without self-awareness to look back the small big causing my failure. In this travel, everyone had their reasons to come, and for me, I wanted the help of religious power to clam down. Meeting with a lot of people, we shared our stories and helped each other. I realize that this is not just a religious event but a bridge to connect among many people who have different backgrounds and come from different places. Donators, alone the route for the event, were hospitable. It is a gift during the tough peregrination that donators always voluntarily greeted us. They brought various supplies to pilgrims. Being hungry, we always had meals to fulfill our energy. Any food we saw, fruits, bread, pizza, burgers, noddles, dumplings, coffee, or ice cream is free. Just took it. Medical squads stood by. Temporary shelters and shower rooms were built along the route. From this event, I saw a powerful cohesion to raise every citizens’ cultural identity. This connection were displayed in term of invisible culture.

(Goddess divine manifestation)

There are two famous Matsu Pilgrimage; One calls Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage which I joined, and the other is Baishatun Matsu Pilgrimage. A senior shared a divine manifestation. Ting Hsin International Group, a big international enterprise in Taiwan, owns various food brands. Its scandal that one of its brand sold cooking oil adulterated with tainted gutter oil was revealed, allowing for the charge of fraud. But Its senior leaders representing the company wanted to pray for a judgement of not guilty through the power of Baishatun Matsu by crawling under Baishatun Matsu's palanquin. One of the tradition from the event is called “crawling under palanquin”. Kneeling, bowing toward the palanquin, and queuing in two lines on the road, congregants were waiting for the palanquin to pass above them and thereby to received Matsu’s blessing. Due to Ting Hsin notorious products, Matsu’s palanquin bypass the senior leaders with its own will. The staff holding the palanquin emphasized that a magical power pulled away from the leaders without staff’s control. It sounds like that the goddess also regarded Ting Hsin International Group as a guilty, unforgivable enterprise. So, believed it or not. I am not talking about the magical power, but the importance of honesty, worthy to keep in mind.  

(A foreign friend)

During the pilgrimage, I saw a foreigner limping slowly. I went forward and asked if there are needs to help. Derek told me in a painful expression that he could still hold on, but his exhaust face were hugely contrary to his yellow T-shirt with lively cute Jack the dog, a main character in the American animated TV series Adventure Time. His perseverance and belief were really sturdy. After several years of hard work, my English speaking ability finally came in handy so that I had a happy chat with him alone the way. With more talks, we became friends and chatted along the road. He gradually forgot the hardships of the journey by showing smiles and laughs. So do I. Also, I did not feel bored and, most importantly, neglected physical pains during the 300 kilometers peregrination. This travel is tough, making me recall the experience in the 2016 Taipei international marathon competition that I had participated. This young man was the same age as me. He lived in New Jersey, USA, and came to Taiwan for the Eastern cultural experiences. Especially, he was enamored in Taiwanese aboriginal culture. His Taiwanese aboriginal hat, a black linen knitting hat with its soft silvery-white artificial pearls decoration on the edge, could be a good explanation of why he love Taiwan. One day, Discovery Channel introduced Mazu Pilgrimage on the TV, making him here. There was always an end, so the two men shook hands, hugged each other, and moved toward their respective lives. An odyssey makes a good life experience and brings me good friends.