A woman with a long, thin stick of incense in her hand paid her respects at the Da Tian Hou Gong

Praying woman in Da Tian Hou Gong — Shot at Da Tian Hou Gong, a shrine dedicated to Mazu in Tainan, Taiwan

After leaving the temple dedicated to Guan Yu, I walked for a while and came across another temple. This was the Da Tian Hou Gong. It was dedicated to the matchmaker and the Goddess Mazu, who is not a major figure in Japan but is very popular in Chinese culture. Mazu was originally the goddess of safe navigation, but her power to grant wishes became so strong that she gradually became the goddess of all wishes.

I wonder how many temples have been built here in the center of Tainan. Temples have been built everywhere. The locals must be very religious. At the same time, they must not be satisfied with just one god. They visit different temples for different kinds of wishes. If they wanted money, they would visit the Guan Yu Temple, and if they wanted to pray for safety, they would visit the Mazu Temple.

As I entered the temple, I could see the crowd of worshippers. This is one of the oldest Mazu temples in Taiwan. The woman in this photo was also a worshipper. She was in the middle of paying her respects, holding a long, thin incense sticks in both hands.

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