Mazu believers show their devotion to the sea goddess in many ways. One devotee decided to express their warm welcome to Mazu with a bang.
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As the Baishatun Mazu procession, which began last Monday, returns to where the pilgrimage started, one can see the large numbers of devotees congesting the streets of Miaoli.
To welcome Mazu, a believer who works as a crane operator prepared 18 cranes with 800-900 firecrackers tied to the boom. He even had one firecracker display resembling a temple gate.
The firecrackers will be set off upon the arrival of Mazu’s palanquin. A similar display was prepared last year.
The crane operator said that he thought Mazu’s processions in previous years weren’t as lively, which is why he came up with the idea of having firecrackers to welcome the sea goddess. He admitted that the cost of the firecrackers alone has exceeded NT$1 million (over US$31,000).
During the procession, it is not uncommon to see many devout believers kneeling in the middle of the road. The queue of devotees in this line was nearly 2 kilometers long, with each believer hoping that Mazu’s palanquin would pass over them to give her blessings.
As the procession nears the end and the pilgrimage starts to wrap up, devotees can at least say they literally had a blast and can leave the procession feeling totally lit.