Staff writer, with CNAThe annual Baishatun Matsu Pilgrimage began early yesterday in Miaoli County, with more than 110,000 worshipers expected to attend the nine-day event, one of Taiwan’s largest religious processions.
The Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage, the largest annual religious procession in the nation, concluded on Sunday with the return of sea goddess Matsu to Jenn Lann Temple in Taichung’s Dajia District (大甲).
The procession, which took the sea goddess on a 340km journey through Taichung, and Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties and back, began on the night of April 8 and ended at the temple on Sunday night.
The number of attendees at the nine-day procession was markedly lower than previous years, due to soaring local COVID-19 cases, event organizers said.
Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Taiwan increased sharply during the pilgrimage, with the