No date for Valentine’s Day? Visit Taiwan’s Top 10 Temple of the Matchmaker for Love

Text / Compiled and reported by the MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

Is Valentine’s Day around the corner making you green with envy seeing all the couples around? Hurry and visit Taiwan’s top ten most popular Temple of the Matchmaker to ensure you’re never alone on Valentine’s Day again.

● Xiahai City God Temple

Built in the 9th year of the Xianfeng Emperor during the Qing Dynasty (1859 AD), Xiahai City God Temple is a municipal third-grade historic site. It enshrines the main deity, the Xiahai City God, and serves as the spiritual center for residents of Dadaocheng, being a renowned matchmaking temple in Taipei. Statistics show that over the past 10 years, the temple has helped bring together nearly 60,000 couples.

● Sìyì Temple and Grand Queen of Heaven Temple
Located south of Chihkan Tower, Sìyì Temple and Grand Queen of Heaven Temple are both first-grade historic sites and famous temples, also known as popular matchmaking spots. Aside from praying for a red thread of fate at the Grand Queen of Heaven Temple, there are cosmetics at the Matchmaker’s altar. According to Hokkien homophones, they symbolize “fate” — applying them to your cheeks is believed to attract romance. Additionally, the temple offers a dedicated Matchmaker hotline where singles can call in with their ideal partner preferences, and volunteers will thoughtfully matchmake for you. For those troubled by bad relationships, you can visit the Matchmaker at Sìyì Temple — it’s said that his cane can help cut off unwanted romantic ties.

● Lukang Tianhou Temple in Changhua

To pray for love at Lukang Tianhou Temple, prepare joss paper, a red thread, and lead coins, along with thorn-free white flowers, five types of sweets (none with pits or sour taste), and non-sour, thorn-free fruits. The temple also offers an online service — singles can apply online, and the temple will convey your wishes to the Matchmaker, register them in the Book of Love, and send you a love bracelet and a charm to bless you with a good relationship soon.

● Taipei Changchun Four-Faced Buddha Aside from showcasing Taiwanese temple art, the bustling incense offerings are key to why Mengjia Longshan Temple has stood strong for over two hundred years. The Matchmaker (Moon Old Man) is enshrined in the Moon Altar Hall at the back of the temple and is considered very efficacious. Additionally, there is a special procedure when worshipping the Matchmaker here — you must first worship the grand Guanyin Bodhisattva, then Mazu, Wenchang Dijun, Guan Sheng Dijun, and other deities in order, explaining your purpose before you can approach the Moon Old Man.