Chiayi County’s Folk Custom “Fengtian Temple Goddess Lantern Festival Parade” Applies for National Cultural Heritage Status

▲ Fengtian Temple has a long history, and its unique “Fengtian Temple Goddess Lantern Festival Parade” has been submitted to the Ministry of Culture for designation as a “Nationally Designated Intangible Cultural Asset.” (Photo / fromWikipedia)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

No less renowned than the Dajia Mazu Lantern Parade in Taichung, Chiayi County’s unique county-designated folk custom “Fengtian Temple Goddess Lantern Festival Parade” has recently been applied for recognition as a “Nationally Designated Intangible Cultural Asset.”

Held annually on the Lantern Festival, the “Fengtian Temple Goddess Lantern Festival Parade” is one of the major annual events in Xingang, Chiayi County. Whether it’s the annual parade within Xingang city or the extended 18 Villages Parade, both bring an unprecedented fervor of Mazu worship to Xingang and nearby areas. The expanded parade held in 2010 set a Guinness World Record by assembling 128 statues of Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Following Ear.

According to research by Zhang [surname] from the Institute of Ethnology at Academia Sinica and [another scholar], a professor at [university name], this activity has a documented history dating back to 1901, making it a continuous tradition for 103 years. It is one of the few events in Taiwan that is original, enduring, innovative, and held during the Lantern Festival.

In addition to applying for “Nationally Designated Intangible Cultural Asset” status, Fengtian Temple also stated that it has commissioned a professional team of historians and cultural relics appraisers to evaluate other artifacts within the temple, with plans to apply for “Tangible Cultural Asset” status in the future.
 

▲ The “Fengtian Temple Goddess Lantern Festival Parade” attracts large crowds every year. (Photo / fromXingang Fengtian Temple Fan Page))