"Chosen by Mazu!" Eighteen Fairies Selected at Luermen Tianhou Temple

▲ The "Divine Cup Tossing Fairy Selection" event at Luermen Tianhou Temple: Four contestants each tossed five holy cups — the highest record — and were invited by the temple to try on fairy costumes. (Photo / Taken fromLuermen Tianhou Temple’s Facebook)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The results of the "Divine Cup Tossing Fairy Selection" held by Luermen Tianhou Temple in Tainan City have been announced. This year, "Mazu" has expanded the selection to include eighteen fairies. The temple first arranged for four participants who consecutively tossed five holy cups — the highest possible record — to dress up and try on fairy costumes. Initially, the temple set various restrictive criteria for age, height, weight, and appearance, which sparked backlash online. Eventually, the temple retained only the requirement that participants be unmarried women.

▲ Promotional material for the "Fairy Selection" event. (Photo / Taken from Luermen Tianhou Temple’s Facebook)

The Luermen Tianhou Temple Fairy Selection has been held for 22 consecutive years. Previously, the selection criteria set by the temple included “women aged 18 to 25, unmarried, with good looks, height between 158 and 170 cm, and weight under 60 kg.” After the announcement, it triggered protests from netizens but also significantly increased the event’s visibility, leading to a surge in applicants.

The temple stated that the original quota was eight selected fairies, but due to this year’s increase in applicants to 36, they decided to expand the selection to 18. The final selections were made by Mazu through the divine cup tossing. Each contestant had six chances to toss the cups, and rankings were based on the number of holy cups obtained. The selected fairies will serve as “Fragrant Bath Blessing” attendants from the first to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

▲ Real-time footage of contestants tossing the divine cups during the "Fairy Selection" (left) and the selected Junior Ritual Officials (right). (Photo / Taken from Luermen Tianhou Temple’s Facebook)

In addition to selecting fairies, the selection process for Junior Ritual Officials is also determined by divine cup tossing — the top 32 participants who toss the most holy cups are chosen. This year, 84 people applied, and 28 were ultimately selected. The temple noted, “Although serving as a fairy or Junior Ritual Official is unpaid, it is a symbol of honor and an unforgettable lifelong memory.”