After the whole village had been fasting and performing the ritual for seven consecutive days, the Mazu Procession Ceremony began on the morning of the eighth day. The villagers gathered at the entrance of the Mazu Temple early in the morning to watch the excitement.
The ceremonial music band hired two shifts to take turns playing music in the Mazu Temple. At around 9 o'clock in the morning, an old lady carefully carried out one of the two Mazu statues in front of the Mazu statue, and another middle-aged fisherman's daughter carried it to the sedan chair, placed it upright, and wrapped it with red silk.
The village chief placed three incense sticks in each of the three incense holders in front of the statue, and then signaled the people outside the temple gate to ring the gong to clear the way.
Walking in the front is a man carrying a "clear the way" flag and a gong, followed by people setting off firecrackers. Behind him, on both sides, are people holding "keep away" plaques. Following closely behind are the young and middle-aged men holding plaques with words such as "Peace in All Seasons", "Peace and Prosperity", and "Good Weather and Harvest" inscribed on them.
There was a ceremonial music band in the middle and at the end of the procession. Mazu was sitting on a wooden sedan chair carried by eight young men in the middle. The maids following on both sides were dressed as little girls from the village, eight in total.
Ye Huimei was also chosen to be a maid, and she was always by her side, holding a basket of flowers in her hand.
The children of the Ye family saw it and shouted: "It's my aunt, it's my aunt."
"My aunt looks so beautiful after putting on powder today~"
It was a rare event to see such a lively scene. Almost everyone in the village came out to accompany Mazu on her tour. Because it was the weekend and there was no school, not only the Ye family children, but also all the children in the village, big and small, followed behind, jumping and skipping.
Ye Huimei heard the cries of the children at home, looked over and smiled slightly, but when she looked away, she caught sight of A Guang who was staring with his eyes wide open not far away. Her cheeks turned slightly red with embarrassment, and then she concentrated on following the team.
There were also people in the crowd discussing whether Ye Huimei was single, and wondering if any of their relatives had anyone of the same age to introduce to her.
The Ye family members all have good looks, except Ye Huimei who became a little darker after the summer. But today she put on some powder to make her skin look fair, and she was still quite eye-catching among the maids.
Ah Guang listened to others' talk with displeasure, but he could do nothing about it. Everything must be done step by step, so he followed the sedan chair reluctantly.
Behind the team there were people carrying two-legged baskets filled with firecrackers and fireworks, who were set off as they walked.
Accompanied by the sounds of gongs and drums and firecrackers, the parade team walked across the uneven gravel road along the seashore, climbed up the quaint stone steps, passed through the avenues and paths of the fishing village, and went up the hills or down the slopes.
When Mazu goes out on tour, she will walk through all the roads in the village and stop at the doorsteps of all the villagers' homes. Some people will place offering tables at the doorsteps. When she arrives at a house, the head of that household will burn three incense sticks. Only after she has walked around the entire village will the guard of honor go to the beach.
We walked along the river bank from east to west, then walked to the beach and stopped in the middle of the beach.
The ritual music band will also come forward to perform for Mazu, playing a piece of music to bless the fishermen with safe production at sea and happiness and safety for their families, and to pray for good luck and happiness for the fishermen's boats, for disasters to be driven away, for blessings to come, for the tides to be full and for the waters to be prosperous.
According to legend, Mazu's real name was Lin Mo. She was a descendant of the Jiumu Lin family, a prominent family in Putian, Fujian Province. She was born on the 23rd day of the third lunar month in the first year of Jianlong in the Song Dynasty (960 AD).
Before she was born, her parents had already given birth to five daughters and were very much hoping that this one would be a son, but they were greatly disappointed.
But on the evening before she was born, neighbors saw a meteor turn into a red light shooting from the northwest sky, so bright and dazzling that it made the rocks on the island glow red.
Therefore, her parents felt that she must be an extraordinary girl and loved her especially. Because she did not cry from the time she was born until she was one month old, they named her Lin Mo.
When she grew up, she was determined to do good deeds and help others all her life, and she would not marry until she was frustrated. Her parents obeyed her wishes. She devoted herself to charity and public welfare, studied medicine, treated people, and taught people how to prevent diseases and eliminate disasters.
She was kind and helpful, and her reputation spread far and wide in the coastal areas. No matter what difficulties anyone encountered, they were willing to consult her and ask for her help. She also enthusiastically helped the villagers who asked her for help to resolve difficulties and avoid danger and seek good fortune.
Growing up by the sea, Lin Mo not only knows astronomy and meteorology, but is also familiar with water. There are many reefs in the strait between Meizhou Island and the mainland, and fishing boats and merchant ships that are in distress in this sea area are often rescued by Lin Mo, so people say that she can cross the sea on a mat.
She could also predict good and bad luck, and would tell the boat owners in advance whether they could set sail, so they were also said to be able to "predict good and bad luck" and called her "the goddess" and "the dragon girl."
On the ninth day of the ninth month in 987 (the fourth year of Yongxi reign of Emperor Taizong of Song), Lin Mo, who was only 28 years old, ascended to heaven. In fact, she died while rescuing people at sea.
But in later legends, on the day when Lin Mo ascended to heaven, people on Meizhou Island said they saw Mazu riding on the wind and auspicious clouds, soaring in the bright sun in the sky.
From then on, sailors said they often saw Lin Mo dressed in red flying over the sea, rescuing people in distress. As a result, the statue of Mazu gradually became a common sight on ships, in order to pray for a safe and smooth voyage.
Because of his ability to save the world and benefit the people, he is revered as the "God of the Sea" in the southeastern coastal areas of China and even in East Asia, and temples are built to worship him.
Today's offering ceremony is no less grand than that on Mazu's birthday, except that there is no banquet.
After the ritual band performance, you just need to walk below the tide and survey the sea surface. The Mazu journey ceremony is considered completed and you can return to the temple directly.
The villagers escorted and followed from beginning to end until Mazu took her seat in the Mazu Temple. An old lady knelt down and prayed with a cup of tea on her head, and then they respectfully returned the statue to its place. Only then did the procession ceremony come to an end, and everyone went back to their homes.
"Daddy, pee, pee, pee, pee."
Ye Yaodong panicked, "Wait a minute, you can't pee, or I'll beat your butt."
As he spoke, he hurriedly took Ye Chengyang off his neck. Because Ye Chengyang was small, walked slowly, and couldn't see, Ye Yaodong just picked him up and slid him around his neck halfway.
Ye Chengyang couldn't wait any longer and shouted anxiously: "I need to pee... pee..."
He had just pulled his pants down a little bit when he couldn't hold his urine anymore. Most of his pants were wet and Ye Yaodong's hands were covered with his urine, but at least it didn't go on his neck.
"Can't you just tell me you need to pee earlier? Why are you in such a hurry? Your intestines aren't straight."
Lin Xiuqing muttered a few words to the side, then took off his pants and slapped his butt twice.
The children nearby scratched his face with their index fingers and laughed at him: "Shame on you~"
"Bad ass, shame on you~"
"Ye Chengyang is so embarrassed~"
He immediately buried his head between his father's legs in embarrassment, but he passed through and immediately found that it seemed quite fun, so he stretched and stretched there...
Ye Yaodong pulled him up with a frown on his face, "Let's go home!"
Lin Xiuqing took her eldest son and followed him, but he refused to leave.
"Pei Shun, why are you standing there and not leaving?"
"Why do you care about me?"
"Grass… "
Ye Yaodong wanted to say something more, but Lin Xiuqing pulled his clothes and said, "Go back, why do you care about him?"
"I'm just asking a few questions out of concern for my friend."
She rolled her eyes. Ah Guang had nothing to do recently, so he sent bananas and persimmons to their family every few days. Even though they had clearly told her that they had a lot of them, he still sent them.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see it, but they just didn't say it out loud. Anyway, Ye's mother was the one who took care of it, so it wasn't their turn as the brother and sister-in-law to worry about it.
Ye Yaodong also understood that she was just a little unhappy. In her previous life, his younger sister came to his house every few days to scold him, and then kept sending gifts to his family. After Lin Xiuqing was diagnosed with cancer, she had no daughter to take care of her, and she had not yet married a daughter-in-law. It was she who helped him take care of her for several months and paid a lot of the medical expenses. Of course, he cared about what kind of person she married.
"Let's go back. It's late. Let's go back and eat."
Ye Yaodong glared at A Guang before turning and leaving.