Matsu
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: note: hyperforeign
ipa: /ˈmæt.su/
enpr: mäʹdzo͞o
Forms: form: Ma-tsu
raw_tags: from Wade–Giles
form: Matzu
raw_tags: from Wade–Giles
form: Matsoo
form: Mazu
Etymology: From the Wade–Giles romanization of Mandarin 媽祖／妈祖 (Māzǔ).
Senses: examples: text: Groups of schoolboys neatly dressed in white shorts and yellow cravats, a truck load of maidens in pink and green, another long silk banner and another carriage...it seems as if there are dozens of Matsus, each one accompanied by her retinue of standard bearers, musicians and heralds.
ref: 1982 April 18, “Old festivals endure amid modern progress”, in Free China Weekly, volume XXII, number 15, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2:
text: Mr Lee descended on Penghu, one of the Pescadores, with a population of 90,000, in the afternoon, immediately after military jets had buzzed the airstrip to ensure his safety. Penghu lies in the middle of the Taiwan Strait.
Addressing a large rally, he compared himself to the native goddess Matsu, who gave her life for others. "Your President should love and protect the people like her," he said. "Matsu will not abandon Penghu, and I will not either."
ref: 1996 March 15, Jonathan Mirsky, “Taiwan President visits islanders to bolster morale”, in The Times, number 65,528, →ISSN, →OCLC, Overseas News, page 15, column 1:
text: I often think of Matsu, a figure in Taiwanese folk religions, who it is said guided the first Chinese settlers of Taiwan through the brutal seas at night and came to their rescue. With a benevolent heart, Matsu is like a mother.
The two gods who accompany Matsu, one with eyes that can see 1000 li⁶ and the other with ears that can hear far over the horizon, represent empathy, observation, and feeling. Government should be like Matsu, equipped with acute powers of observation; see clearly to the bottom of issues, and know how to respond.
There is a hierarchy among Matsu and her attendant gods, but they divide labor according to their strengths and work together in a truly perfect "partnership."
ref: 2000, Chen Shui-Bian, “Learning and Transformation”, in David J. Toman, transl., The Son of Taiwan: The Life of Chen Shui-Bian and His Dreams for Taiwan, Taiwan Publishing Co., Ltd., →ISBN, →OCLC, page 40:
text: Matsu's temple in Miaoli
[...]Dong saw a statue of the fishermen’s deity Matsu as it makes an annual pilgrimage through the western seaboard counties.
Matsu, goddess of the sea, protector of seafarers, and Taiwan’s preeminent folk deity, will be going on tour at the end of the third Chinese lunar month, as she does every year.
Peishatun Matsu, who resides at the Gungtien Temple in Tunghsiao, Miaoli County, has the longest pilgrimage route.
According to one version of the legend, Matsu saved her father, brother and a number of fishermen from drowning while she physically remained at home.
ref: 2008 February 29, He Jianwei, “An etude to the island coast”, in Beijing Today, number 352, →ISSN, →OCLC, Travel China, page 21, columns 1, 2:
text: One of the most popular religious figures in Taiwan is Matsu, the Goddess of the Sea. The many temples dedicated in her honor will host massive pilgrimages every year in the spring. But one temple – located Tung-hsiao Township, Miaoli County -- has no set schedule or destination for its Matsu procession. In other words, organizers use divination to decide where Matsu wants to go and how long she wants to stay each year.
ref: 2018 December 31, Paula Chao, “God of Earth welcomes the Matsu pilgrimage in person?”, in Radio Taiwan International, archived from the original on 23 Sep 2023:
text: People in flowing robes and dressed up as guards worship a statue of the goddess Matsu, known as the protector of fishermen, in a ceremony in Nangan Township in the Matsu Islands on Sunday celebrating the anniversary of Matsu's ascension to heaven.
ref: 2020 October 25, “Matsu worship ceremony”, in Focus Taiwan, archived from the original on 28 Sep 2022, Photos of the Day:
glosses: Alternative form of Mazu (goddess).