Home › Travel › The Matsu "Bai Ming" Festival: A Centenn...

The Matsu "Bai Ming" Festival: A Centennial Lantern Festival Prayer for Blessings All Year Round!

Published: 2026-09-26 👁 100 views

Last updated 2026-09-26 — "Bai Ming" is a unique cultural tradition of Matsu, meaning "arranging the night." The people of Matsu hold nighttime ceremonies to offer sacrifices and pay tribute to the deities, an event that has gradually evolved into a distinctive celebration. This year marks the centennial of the founding of the Republic, and the Bai Ming Festival is being grandly celebrated as the "Centennial Bai Ming Carnival." Wang Caihua, known for bringing an atmosphere of blessings, is invited as a guest to join the public in dancing the "Blessing Dance" for good fortune, making the Lantern Festival atmosphere even more lively.

"Bai Ming" is a unique cultural tradition of Matsu, meaning "arranging the night." The people of Matsu hold nighttime ceremonies to offer sacrifices and pay tribute to the deities, an event that has gradually evolved into a distinctive celebration. This year marks the centennial of the founding of the Republic, and the Bai Ming Festival is being grandly celebrated as the "Centennial Bai Ming Carnival." Wang Caihua, known for bringing an atmosphere of blessings, is invited as a guest to join the public in dancing the "Blessing Dance" for good fortune, making the Lantern Festival atmosphere even more lively.

Nangan – Temple of the Martial and Literary White Horse King (Photo provided by Lienchiang County Government)

The Lantern Festival Bai Ming Cultural Festival is a fusion of Matsu’s local culture, customs, and traditions. It includes competitions such as gongs, drums, and percussion contests, welcoming the Golden Statue of the King of Min, lighting ceremonies to mark the opening, the “Two Matsu Lantern Festivals,” hundreds of households sending out blessing lanterns, grand worship ceremonies for the enshrinement of the King of Min, parading for blessings, the Burning of Horse Provisions activity, temple feasts, street parades, spirit-medium prayers from various villages, sending blessings, Bai Ming processions and prayers across different townships, extinguishing the lights, and dream-invoking blessing rituals. The Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival in Matsu kick off the new year in a joyous and bustling series of celebrations.

The festivities begin with the "Coloring Night" on the 12th day of the first lunar month. The gongs, drums, and percussion competition invites drum teams from various villages and communities in Matsu to compete. Amid the thunderous beats, this grand carnival commences. In the evening, all four townships and five islands of Matsu will light up simultaneously, jointly launching the “2011 Two Matsu Lantern Festivals” event, praying for peace and blessings for travelers and their families on this journey.

The beautiful scenery of Juguang. (Photo provided by Lienchiang County Government)

In addition, the “Two Matsu Lantern Festivals” event, jointly organized by Matsu and Fuzhou’s Mawei, has entered its ninth edition this year. It is a major celebration where people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait come together to enjoy the Lantern Festival. Visitors take ferries to Fuzhou to attend the grand celebration gala held in Mawei. Alongside song and dance performances and folk art showcases from both sides, the highlight is the spectacular Lantern Festival fireworks display. The Lienchiang County Government Tourism Bureau has also partnered with travel agencies to launch discounted “Two Matsu Lantern Festivals” packages, allowing participants to enjoy both the Matsu Bai Ming Carnival and the Mawei Lantern Festival gala. Interested individuals are encouraged to join.