Taipei City Government

The Department of Civil Affairs (DCA) will join Shilin Cixian Temple in organizing the 2017 Northern Taiwan Matsu Cultural Festival between September 25 and October 7. The event seeks to introduce locals to the charisma of traditional temple culture.

An exhibition on the belief of Matsu deity will also take place at Shilin Public Assembly Hall from September 23 through October 8, showcasing the characteristics of the festival’s host temple Shilin Cixian Temple, local religious traits, historical relics, as well as temple crafts and photographs from past festivals.

One of the highlights of the exhibits on display will be the paintings by artist Huang Chu-ping, who has traveled around the island working in artist-in-residence programs. Despite her lack in artist training, she has developed a style of her own for art creation, spanning painting, photography, and installation art. Hang’s paintings, mostly portraying folk figures in a specific cultural context, employ black and white illustration techniques to express the interaction between humans and the environment.

As part of the festival, the Shilin Civic Hall will hold the “Matsu Pilgrimage” and “Introduction of Matsu the Goddess” events in the afternoon of September 23 and 30. The occasions will involve music fanfare, “crawling under the palanquin,” placing a fortune handkerchief over the incense burner to pray for happiness, and other rituals, to salute the traditional practice of Matsu worship.

Citizens are invited to participate in related activities of the annual religious fest. For more information, please contact Shilin Public Assembly Hall at 02-28826200, ext. 6213 or 02-88611753.