The Annual Ritual of Inviting Kuandu Matsu and its Transition

• Main Authors: Chien,Yiu Ching, 簡有慶
• Other Authors: Lin,Mei Rong
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/26245634385083708988

碩士 === 國立臺北大學 === 民俗藝術研究所 === 97 === Among the beliefs of Matsu in Taiwan, Kuandu Matsu is the most prosperous one in northern Taiwan. This thesis applies the methods of historical research as well as field-work to investigate the villages and towns which inviting Kuandu Matsu, and by these ways to understand the origin and transitions of the belief in Kuandu Matsu in northern Taiwan. The major reason of the continuing prosperity of Kuandu Temple since constructed in Qing Dynasty (1712) is because its location, Kandomeng (干豆門), is the convergence of water transportation in Taipei basin, as well as its rich efficacious facts and legends to accomplish its great number of followers. The second Matsu (二媽) is the most legendary one in Kuandu Temple. During the early Japanese colonization, there was a serious plague in Taiwan, but in Taipei, it was quickly alleviated due to the people there invited the second Matsu to Dadaocheng. Since then, the second Matsu was viewed as the God capable of dispelling diseases. Besides, Kuandu second Matsu has the ability to expel disasters. Therefore, the name and the status of the second Matsu is getting higher than the local god in each town or village. The second Matsu is also viewed as the “Peaceful Matsu” or “Safety Matsu.” Hence, the second Matsu is the representation of the Kuandu Temple. Each town proceeds Matsu’s invitation ritual annually. However, in the early years, the ritual date of each town was not fixed and many towns were designated to invite the second Matsu. Therefore, it gradually became to fix a specific day for each town or village in order to make a routine appointment with Kuandu Temple, in Madarin, this is so called “Yi dan (刈單).” Moreover, the towns in northern Taiwan were divided into different cultural areas due to the people’s ancestral homes, as well as the influences of climate, communication and industrial economy, the ways of inviting ritual in these areas are different. After the retrocession of Taiwan, the belief in Kuandu Matsu has gradually localized. Each town started to enshrine and worship the divided spirit(分靈) of Matsu. Therefore, Matsu is not only an imperial commissioner, but also became “townish Matsu”(庄頭媽祖) in each area, to protect the town with its local god. The annual ritual of Kuandu Matsu was sometimes politically interfered. For instance, the Japanese colonial government once promoted to improve the activity of invitation ritual for the sake of “improving lives,” but it was not so much influential; and, after the Sino-Japanese War, the raise of Japanese Kouminka Movement (皇民化運動) has made the ritual of inviting Kuandu Matsu became underground. It was not until the retrocession of Taiwan that the ritual returned annually. But once again due to the movement of“improving the folk customs ” carried out by the national government of t of Republic of China (國民政府), which was greatly influenced on the inviting ritual. However, the people have their own methods to cope with the government’s policy in maintaining their original annual rituals.