Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage 2027: departure date to be announced after divination on 20 February (usually March–April)

The departure date is only known on Lantern Festival night. The temple chairman casts divination blocks to ask Mazu, and the date and hour are announced after a favourable answer.

Until the divination, keep March and April free and check again before you travel. Jenn Lann Temple's announcement is final. The lunar calendar lands on different Gregorian dates each year, so last year's dates won't carry over.

The procession starts at Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia, Taichung, heads south through Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin to Fengtian Temple in Xingang, Chiayi, and returns to Dajia the same way.

The round trip is over 340 km and crosses four cities and counties: Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi.

You don't register with the temple to walk, and there are no rules on how far or how long you go. You can join or leave the procession anywhere.

A pilgrim flag is different: you fill in a form at the Jenn Lann Temple service desk and buy it only after a favourable divination answer. On your first time, walk with the pilgrims around you and follow the volunteers' directions.

Walking the full nine days and eight nights is very hard. The asphalt is long and blisters come quickly, and only a minority complete the whole route.

Check the daily schedule and overnight stops published by Jenn Lann Temple, pick a stretch that starts and ends near a station and suits your fitness, then take public transport home from that town.

Decide which stretch you will walk first, then plan how to get in and out from a nearby town.

Villages along the way provide food, so meals cost little. The main costs are lodging and transport, which you arrange yourself.

This is a long walk, and shoes matter most. Wear a pair you have broken in and that fit well, and carry blister plasters and spare socks.

Bring your own water, a hat, rain gear and a headlamp, and stop at rest points when you are tired.

There are two ways to do it: kneel on the ground so the palanquin is carried over you, or crawl under it while it is stopped.

If you want to take part, watch how experienced worshippers do it, follow the volunteers' directions, and keep your place and timing with the line. Only get up once the palanquin has fully passed.

The send-off, overnight stops and return are the busiest moments. Watch your footing when the palanquin comes close and don't push into packed spots.

The procession keeps walking after dark. If you walk along the road at night, wear light or reflective clothing, step aside when the palanquin approaches, and wait until it has fully passed.

Temples and households along the route set up altars to welcome Mazu, and villages prepare food for pilgrims. You don't need to share the faith.

Return bowls when you finish, take your rubbish with you, and thank the hosts as you pass their altar.