"Matsu Baiming Cultural Festival" - A Must-Visit Lantern Festival Experience in Your Lifetime!

    While many conclude their Lunar New Year celebrations when returning to work, for Matsu, the main event is the "Matsu Baiming Cultural Festival" which begins on the twelfth day of the first lunar month. Baiming is a crucial New Year celebration in Matsu with over a century of history, encompassing various traditional ceremonies including lamp lighting ceremony, horse feed burning, deity palanquin gatherings, pilgrimage processions, blessing with food, and dream divination.

    "Baiming" (pronounced "bey-man") in the Fuzhou dialect means "arranging night," essentially referring to the practice of offering sacrifices to deities at night. The festival takes place around the Lantern Festival, during which temple deities proceed through the neighborhoods at night to pray for peace throughout the region. This custom originated in the Changle and Lianjiang areas of Fuzhou before spreading to Matsu, where it became the most important, grandest, and unique annual festival celebration. All 68 temples across Matsu's four townships and five islands participate in this festival, which is hosted annually in rotation by the main deities and temples of each village's primary clans. In 2019, it was registered as one of the nation's important folk customs by the Ministry of Culture. Locals consider this period the real New Year for Matsu people, with those working away from home returning to participate in the annual Baiming Cultural Festival.

    The 2025 Baiming Cultural Festival will be hosted by the "Banli White Horse Sage King Temple" in Beigan Township, with the "White Horse Sage King" as the main deity. Following the temple's guidance and the White Horse Sage King's decree, this year's theme is "Calm Seas," symbolizing peaceful waters without waves and tranquility in Matsu. The festival begins with the lamp lighting ceremony on February 9 (12th day of the first lunar month), when households hang traditional wind lanterns at their doorways to pray for peace and prosperity in the coming year. On February 10 (13th day of the first lunar month), Beigan's unique "horse feed burning" ceremony leads the celebrations, with spirit mediums from various Beigan temples carrying dozens of deity palanquins to pay respects to the White Horse Sage King of Banli Village. During the evening's horse feed burning ceremony, torches will be provided to visitors who can participate in lighting the "Great Horse Feed," a red brick circle approximately 5 meters in diameter, allowing them to deeply engage in Matsu's traditional religious beliefs. The festival concludes with the dream divination ceremony on February 26 (29th day of the first lunar month) at the Wu Wei Ling Gong Temple in Qinbi Village, Beigan Township, where people can seek divine guidance and then find a place within the temple to sit, lie down, or meditate while waiting for deities to "grant dreams" with answers. Many visitors come specifically to pray for children or career advancement.

    The main Baiming activities occur from the twelfth to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, though some villages may start as early as the seventh day. Interested visitors should inquire about specific village event schedules to avoid missing out. Additionally, at 7 PM on February 10, the Ho Hsiao-mei Dance Company will perform with Matsu's traditional drum ensemble at the Beigan Visitor Center Plaza, hoping to create cross-boundary stage effects by combining traditional temple beliefs with modern theatrical arts, further highlighting the uniqueness of Matsu's Lantern Festival Baiming culture. Mr. Hong Zhi-Guang of the Matsu National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation states: The administration is actively creating new tourist attractions and promoting Matsu's Min-dong local tourism. From February 9-11, visitors who take photos of Baiming activities and comment on the administration's Facebook page "Matsu Love Party GO" designated post can redeem a "Military-Style Dual-Use Heavy-Duty Tote Bag" at the Beigan Visitor Center, while supplies last!

    The Matsu Baiming Cultural Festival features several days of swaying wind lanterns and continuous traditional ceremonies, with villages filled with festive joy and excitement. We sincerely invite all citizens to join us in Matsu for a celebratory and colorful Lantern Festival, experiencing the unique Baiming cultural activities distinct from those in Taiwan.

    2025 "Matsu Baiming Cultural Festival" Event Schedule:

• February 9 (12th day of first lunar month, Sunday): Lamp Lighting Ceremony and Blessing with Food
• February 10 (13th day of first lunar month, Monday): Banli Territory Grand Ceremony and Horse Feed Burning
• February 11 (14th day of first lunar month, Tuesday): Qiaozi Village Prayer and Blessings
• February 12 (15th day of first lunar month, Wednesday): Village-wide Pilgrimage Procession
• February 26 (29th day of first lunar month, Wednesday): Dream Divination Activity

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