Ceremony And Identity:A Study On Offering Incense Customs Of The Mazu Temple Of Baisha,Taiwan

As a common belief across the Taiwan Strait,Mazu’s belief is an important link in maintaining cross-strait relations and an important evidence to prove that the two sides share the same roots.Studying Mazu’s beliefs is conducive to maintaining the ties between the two sides of the strait and friendship.It’s conducive to promoting cross-strait academic and cultural exchanges.And it’s more conducive to promoting cross-strait peace development and reunification.Since Taiwan Island is surrounded by the sea,the main industry of the people was still the fishery.So Mazu,as the guardian of the sea,has always occupied an important position in the hearts of the people of Taiwan.Later,with the Mazu’s beliefs rooted within Taiwan,people gradually regarded Mazu not just as a sea god.The function of Mazu began to expand,and finally evolved into an all-powerful god and a peaceful protector who can be told what the believers really think in Taiwan.Taiwan’s Mazu belief system is complicated.There are many temples in all scales.According to the geographical division,each major temple has its own circle of beliefs and sacrificial circles.And each one has its own and common celebrations and religious ceremonies.In the hearts of the people of all regions,Mazu is the patron saint who will guard the eommunity in an area.They receive spiritual eomfort and personal protection from Mazu.They are also obliged to hold relevant ceremonies for Mazu on special days and enshrine Mazu.The grandest festival is the birthday of Mazu,which is on March 23 of the lunar calendar.Mazu believers of the whole island will participate in the ritual of Mazu according to their own situation,and follow the Mazu,s ’Luanjiao’ to go back to the ancestral temple to retrieve the representative from the ancestral temple.The incense ash of the Spiritual power’ of the ancestral temple will be put into the incense burner of the "Fenling" temple to show the enhancement of ’spiritual power9.The ceremony ranges f&om seven to fifteen days.Through field research,I visited several major Mazu temples in some parts of Taiwan,such as Beigang Chaotian Temple,Dajia Town Yugong Palace,Baisha Arch Temple.The whole research focused on the Baisha Temple of the Arch of Heaven,which based on my participation of the whole ceremony.The research includes follow-up research and interviews.Based on historical materials and field materials,this paper starts from the Mazu belief itself,and introduces the source of Taiwan Mazu belief,the evolution and development of Mazu belief in Taiwan.The analyzation of the local sacrificial circle and belief circle formed after Taiwan is rooted in Taiwan.This paper will focus on the rituals of the ancestors of Mazu and the personal identity and group identity implicit in them,and the influence from Mazu belief.This identity is the cultivation of their own personality and quality and the interpersonal relationship between the believers and the common beliefs established by the common beliefs.And this paper will especially pay attention to the special roles that women and children played in the ritual process.This article will permeate the role of folk beliefs in the construction of social structure and social order in the full text,and analyze the important position of folk beliefs in people’s moral system,and the positive significance of the spiritual power implied in folk beliefs.