(ECNS) -- A series of events commemorating the 1,039th anniversary of Mazu's ascension to heaven and her statue's ceremonial tour of Meizhou Island officially opened on Sunday, bringing together devotees from China and abroad at the birthplace of the revered sea goddess.
A key event, a ceremony marking the anniversary and offering prayers to Mazu by the sea, was held on Sunday afternoon. Representatives of nearly 160 Mazu cultural organizations from China and overseas, along with devotees, took part in the ceremony.
"Mazu culture transcends geographical boundaries and connects different civilizations. It is a global symbol of maritime culture and peace," said Huang Baoluo, president of the Mazu Cultural Exchange Association of Wales in the UK.
Having grown up overseas, Huang had witnessed the spread and establishment of Mazu culture in other countries. His visit to Meizhou Island was both a journey to reconnect with his cultural roots and a spiritual experience through which to gain a deeper understanding of Mazu culture, he said.
"The Mazu values of virtue, good deeds and universal love are a vivid expression of China's fine traditional culture and a cultural bond shared by people across the Taiwan Strait," said Cheng Ming-kun, head of the Taiwan Mazu Fellowship and vice chairman of Jenn Lann Temple in Taiwan.
Cheng said Dajia Jenn Lann Temple had organized multiple pilgrimages to Meizhou Island to pay homage to Mazu, while exchanges between temples across the Taiwan Strait had continued over the years. He said he hopes to work with Mazu temples on both sides to further deepen cross-Strait exchanges and carry forward Mazu cultural traditions.
Other activities planned during the commemorations include a donation ceremony of a bronze statue of Mazu and the launch of a cultural initiative titled Si Hai Gui Xin, or Four Seas, One Heart.
(By Zhang Dongfang)
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