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Changhua, Taichung, Taiwan
I am a freelance photographer based in Taiwan, Asia. Photography is a passion as well as a job and Taiwan is a paradise for photographers. I am a product photgrapher, portrait photgrapher, wedding photgrapher, and commercial and editorial photographer. I also photograph a wide range of topics including travel and culture events here in Taiwan. As a sideline, I also teach scuba diving and run guided photography tours, photography courses and guided hikes in Taiwan.

Friday 4 February 2011

Mazu's Birthday and pilgrimage

Mazu's birthday is one of the biggest and most important folk festivals in Taiwan which occurs every year around March. Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, is one of Taiwan's popular folk deity. Mazu deities are returned to their mother temples to be blessed and increase their spiritual powers. Preceding Mazu's birthday is the eight day pilgrimage, one of the world’s biggest festivals where worshippers parade a caravan or shrine containing one of the revered Mazu deities around a circuit before returning it to its mother temple in Dajia. As the deity is paraded through numerous towns and cities, other temples such as the Sen An Gong temple join in forming a long parade.