我的老友、也是33年前同事官振业(Anthony Kon)是我所认识的朋友中最会享受中国旅游乐的一人。他今年4月3日前往中国澳门、广东与福建多地单独自由旅行，为期38日，深度游览华南各地街景，更多的是品尝各地美食，在我撰写本文时还在中国游玩，直至5月10日才回马来西亚。
据他所说，他的旅程有如下列: 澳门→珠海→广州→汕尾→汕头→梅州(以上在广东省)→龙岩→福州→莆田→湄州岛(朝拜妈祖)→泉州→厦门(以上在福建省)→汕头→潮州→河源→深圳龙岗(他祖先故乡)→香港(签订所需出境一次)→珠海→澳门。
Anthony在4月19日(即农历3月15日)已去了莆田湄州岛妈祖庙，赶在妈祖在4月27日(农历3月23日)庆贺诞辰1059周年之前朝拜了妈祖。他请我代他公开与分享他在妈祖庙之游所拍的一些照片，以期达到“独乐乐不如众乐乐”的目的，我极其乐意，遂有本文。
背景简介:
在福建省莆田市湄洲湾口，有一个美丽的岛屿叫湄洲岛。岛上有一座巍峨雄伟、金碧辉煌的庙宇，供奉着世界闻名的“海神”妈祖。
妈祖，以中国东南沿海为中心的海神信仰，又称天上圣母、天后、天后娘娘、天妃、天妃娘娘、湄洲娘妈等。这一信仰的主体据说是由真人真事演变而来的。考察妈祖的生平得知，这一信仰来自民间传说。首先是传说，然后是传说的历史化和神化，最后形成普遍的妈祖信仰。
妈祖出生于仕宦之家，是福建晋代晋安郡王林禄的二十二世孙女。是当地的望族。她原名林默，妈祖父亲林惟悫，母亲王氏，二人多行善积德。一天晚上，王氏梦见观音大士慈详地对她说：“你家行善积德，今赐你一丸，服下当得慈济之赐。”于是便怀了孕。到北宋建隆元年（960年）三月二十三日傍晚，王氏将近分娩，见一道红光，从西北射入室中，光辉夺目，香气飘荡，久久不散。又听得四周隆隆作响，好似春雷轰鸣，地变紫色。王氏感到腹中震动，妈祖于是降生。因生得奇，甚为疼爱。她出生至满月，一声不哭，因此，父亲给她取名“默”。
生长在大海之滨的林默，还通晓天文气象，熟习水性。湄洲岛与大陆之间的海峡有不少礁石，在这海域里遇难的渔舟、商船，常得到林默的救助，因而人们传说她能乘席渡海。她还会测吉凶，必会事前告知船户可否出航，所以又说她能“预知休咎事”，称她为“神女”、“龙女”。
传播原因
妈祖作为一个古代汉族民间的神祗，为何她的精神能被海内外、世界上这么多人认可、赞扬和崇敬呢？这里一个重要原因就是，妈祖身上聚集了中华民族的传统美德和崇高的精神境界。妈祖她作为一个汉族民间的渔家女，善良正直，见义勇为，扶贫济困，解救危难，造福民众，保护中外商船平安航行，凡此种种都是功德无量的事情，所以才会深受百姓的崇敬。妈祖做了很多有益于民众的善事义举，因此受到了海内外很多百姓的尊敬和膜拜。
莆田是对外移民的原乡。在潮汕民居门楼额匾仍可见到“莆田旧家”、“莆阳世系”等莆田印记。海南可考的入琼始祖有九十多个，数量为来自莆田为最。而莆田崇尚美德、坚守家乡传统的文化氛围，熏陶影响了这些迁移者，加上浓重的恋乡情结，来自家乡的妈祖崇拜自然而然就随着这些迁移者来到了全国、海外各地。
宋元时期，泉州是世界最大贸易港之一，元政府为了发展海上贸易，妈祖因被引进至海外交通贸易繁盛的泉州港，成为泉州海神，并因漕运及海外交通的发展，成为全国性海神并远播海外。
明清海禁，福建大批民众为了生计下南洋过台湾，妈祖信仰也随着商人和移民的足迹更为广泛地在海外传播。
自北宋开始神格化，被称为妈祖（当地人对女性祖先的尊称），并受人建庙膜拜，复经宋高宗封为灵惠夫人，成为朝廷承认的神祇。妈祖信仰自福建传播到浙江、广东、台湾、琉球、日本、东南亚（如泰国、马来西亚、新加坡、越南）等地，天津、上海、南京以及山东、辽宁沿海均有天后宫或妈祖庙分布。
湄洲妈祖祖庙，尊称湄洲祖庙。是妈祖信仰的发祥地，道教著名宫观，世界妈祖文化中心，世界非物质文化遗产---《妈祖信俗》的申遗地、遗产地和主要传承地。 宋雍熙四年（987），妈祖升天后，人们怀念纪念她，就在湄洲岛建庙祭祀。这庙宇就是最早的妈祖庙。
永乐初年（1403），郑和下西洋时，因妈祖庇佑有功，奉旨遣官修整祖祠（港里）祖庙（湄洲）。宣德六年（1431）郑和最后一次下西洋之前，亲自与地方官员备办木石，再次修整湄洲祖庙。
1966年，湄洲祖庙陆续遭到破坏，只剩下圣父母祠（佑德祠）和中军殿。祖庙的文物也相继被毁和遗失。唯有妈祖神像在林聪治女士等人的保护下得以幸存。1978年，林聪治等人率领众乡亲进行湄洲祖庙的重建工作。
Anthony Kon is a former colleage of mine whom I knew since 1986. He is an in-depth travelor to China after retirement and has traveled to places in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces many times and for long duration per trip.
He has just embarked on another usual free-and-easy solo travel to China for sight-seeing and good food since April 3, 2019 till May 10, 2019. His journey this time includes Macau, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Zhanmei, Zhantau, Meizhou，Chaozhou，Heyuan, Shenzhen, Longgang (the above are in Guangzhou Province), Longyan, Fuzhou, Putian, Meizhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen (the above are in Fujian Province).
On April 19, 2019, he visited the Meizhou Mazu Ancestor Temple (Legendary Guardian or Goddess of the Chinese Seas) in Putian to pay homage to Mazu. The 1059 anniversary of Mazu’s birthday falls on April 27, 2019 in conjunction of Lunar March 23.
As requested by Anthony, I am pleased to post herewith some of the photos he has taken during his trip to Meizhou Mazu Ancestor Temple so as to share with everyone.
A Brief Introduction:
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| Mazu statue taken from internet |
Reference: https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/mazu-legendary-guardian-chinese-seas-003094
Meizhou Mazu Ancestor Temple Scenic Spot is located at the northern end of Meizhou Island, Putian City. It’s about 40 kilometers away from the southeast Putian City. The temple is the ancestor temple of over 6,000 temples for Mazu in more than 20 countries.
Mazu (妈祖), also known by several other names and titles such as Matsu, Ma-Tsu, A-ma, Tianhou, Motherly Matriarch, Kuan Yin of the Southern Sea, Daughter of the Dragon, Empress of Heaven, Goddess of the Sea, Goddess of the the Straits and etc., is a Chinese sea goddess.
She is the deified form of the purported historical Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Hokkien shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987.
Lin Mo was born at the Xianliang Port of Meizhou Bay in Putian, Fujian Province. Clever, brave and kindhearted, Lin Mu could forecast the weather and was happy to help fishermen in distress at sea. She encouraged the people to conquer nature and defeat evil, so she was much loved and esteemed by the people in her hometown. Unfortunately she died an early death at only 27. As the legend goes, she ascended to heaven and became an immortal at Meizhou Bay located opposite to the Xianliang Port.
Revered after her death as a tutelary deity of seafarers, including fishermen and sailors, her worship spread throughout China’s coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia. She was thought to roam the seas, protecting her believers through miraculous interventions. She is now generally regarded by her believers as a powerful and benevolent Queen of Heaven.
Meizhou Mazu Ancestor Temple Scenic Spot is located at the northern end of Meizhou Island, Putian City. It’s about 40 kilometers away from the southeast Putian City. The temple is the ancestor temple of over 6,000 temples for Mazu in more than 20 countries.
Mazu (妈祖), also known by several other names and titles such as Matsu, Ma-Tsu, A-ma, Tianhou, Motherly Matriarch, Kuan Yin of the Southern Sea, Daughter of the Dragon, Empress of Heaven, Goddess of the Sea, Goddess of the the Straits and etc., is a Chinese sea goddess.
She is the deified form of the purported historical Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Hokkien shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987.
Lin Mo was born at the Xianliang Port of Meizhou Bay in Putian, Fujian Province. Clever, brave and kindhearted, Lin Mu could forecast the weather and was happy to help fishermen in distress at sea. She encouraged the people to conquer nature and defeat evil, so she was much loved and esteemed by the people in her hometown. Unfortunately she died an early death at only 27. As the legend goes, she ascended to heaven and became an immortal at Meizhou Bay located opposite to the Xianliang Port.
Revered after her death as a tutelary deity of seafarers, including fishermen and sailors, her worship spread throughout China’s coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia. She was thought to roam the seas, protecting her believers through miraculous interventions. She is now generally regarded by her believers as a powerful and benevolent Queen of Heaven.
The respect for Mazu has turned into a wide-spread belief with the passage of time. Following the footprints of sea merchants and overseas Chinese, Mazu went out of Putian, out of Fujian and out of China, making her presence in many corners of Asia, America, Australia and Europe.
Consequently, over 1,500 Mazu temples are found all over the world, where Muzu from Meizhou are consecrated. The belief in Mazu has become a sort of transnational folk belief with more than 100 million worshipers. However, different from a religion in the ordinary sense, is a special kind of ideology connected with , religion, folklore, sociology as well as the history of sea communication overseas Chinese, culture and the development of Fujian and Taiwan. This is the culture of Mazu which has aroused an extensive interest and great attention of Chinese and foreign scholars and is now under integral part of the culture of the Chinese nation and a part of the brilliant civilization of China.
Consequently, over 1,500 Mazu temples are found all over the world, where Muzu from Meizhou are consecrated. The belief in Mazu has become a sort of transnational folk belief with more than 100 million worshipers. However, different from a religion in the ordinary sense, is a special kind of ideology connected with , religion, folklore, sociology as well as the history of sea communication overseas Chinese, culture and the development of Fujian and Taiwan. This is the culture of Mazu which has aroused an extensive interest and great attention of Chinese and foreign scholars and is now under integral part of the culture of the Chinese nation and a part of the brilliant civilization of China.
For geographical and historical reasons, the belief in Mazu at Taiwan has turned out to be a popular belief. According to statistics, around two-thirds of the population in Taiwan believe in Mazu, and more than 500 Mazu temples are scattered on the island. In the wake of improving relations between both sides of the Straits, tens of thousands of Taiwan compatriots swarmed to the Meizhou Island to dedicate their piety at Mazu temples to fulfill their sincere wish which they had cherished for decades. The unique Mazu Pilgrim Tour will undoubtedly breakthrough the artificial hedge standing between the people on both sides of the Straits.
Note: All photos above are by courtesy of Anthony Kon (注: 上面所有照片都是由官振业提供)