Mazu faith motivates stroke survivor to walk again

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) A 41-year-old man surnamed Liu (劉) from Miaoli County walked into Baishatun Gongtian Temple, ahead of the annual pilgrimage of the Sea Goddess Mazu, after months of rehabilitation recovering from a stroke earlier this year.

With the assistance of staff from Nanshi Nursing Home in Miaoli City and a walker, Liu stepped into the main hall of the Mazu temple on March 27, the nursing home said in a press release on Friday.

Nursing staff cited in the release recalled that Liu was visibly emotional as he put down the walker and pressed his palms together in prayer inside the temple. "It seems he was reflecting on his journey of recovery from illness to standing on his own again."

That moment moved both fellow worshippers and Liu's caregivers, the statement said.

According to the nursing home, Liu, a native of Miaoli's Tongxiao Township, took part in the Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage every year until suffering a stroke in mid-November last year. Afterwards he was confined to bed, which led him to being admitted to the nursing facility in January.

Liu initially felt deeply frustrated at the facility, but with the companionship and care provided, Liu gradually stepped out from the darkness and had his nasogastric tube removed.

After asking whether he would be able to "offer incense before Mazu again," he won the support of the nursing home team, which began a "dream-fulfillment project" to help him return to his faith.

In the days leading up to the Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage, one of Taiwan's major religious events, Liu practiced walking daily with a walker, enduring the physical pain caused by rehabilitation, the nursing home said.

In Liu's case, the facility said the "dream-fulfillment project" was not only about realizing a wish but also an important part of the patient's rehabilitation, using psychological motivation to support his recovery.

The Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage set off early Monday from Tongxiao, where Gongtian Temple is located, with a record 460,000 devotees joining the eight-day procession to Chaotian Temple, another Mazu temple, in Beigang Township, Yunlin County.

On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims escorted the Baishatun Mazu procession as it arrived at Chaotian Temple, where the Mazu palanquin completed the so-called "fire-gathering" (刈火) ritual in the evening. It set off on its return journey in the early hours of Friday.

"Fire-gathering," also known as "receiving fire" or "requesting fire," is a crucial ritual in Taiwanese pilgrimage traditions. It symbolizes the transmission of incense fire from the ancestral temple (mother temple) to an affiliated temple (branch temple), as well as the replenishment of the deity's spiritual power (often likened to "recharging").

The Baishatun Mazu pilgrims are scheduled to return to Gongtian Temple on Monday.

The Baishatun pilgrimage is known for having no fixed route, with directions and stops believed to be guided by the deity's will through the movements of the palanquin.