TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The century-old Yehliu Cleansing of the Harbor Festival culminated on Sunday (Feb. 5) in New Taipei City with one hundred devotees carrying palanquins off a pier and into the sea.
The traditional blessing ceremony is done to bestow local fishing boats with good fortune, ensuring safe passage into the open ocean and a return to harbor with full loads of seafood. After a two-year suspension due to the pandemic, many were eager to participate in the festival coinciding with the Lantern Festival.
At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday (Feb. 5), a blessing ceremony was held and the first fishing boat departed in this harbor cleansing celebration and returned exactly at 10:20 a.m. with a pre-arranged, full catch of seafood.
Later, at 10:30 a.m., the main event of the day was held as devotees clutched at palanquins carrying local deities and jumped off the pier into cold seawater as the gods “cleansed” the harbor. After a jarring jump into the chilly sea, four-person teams carrying the palanquin must swim their way to the shore, which is about 100 meters away.
Close-up view of deities out for a swim in Yehliu. (Mazu Walker Facebook photo)
Nearby, Baoan Temple is an important source of spiritual sustenance and comfort for local fishermen. The annual harbor cleansing activity has become a vital cultural asset of the community, akin to Yanshuei’s Beehive Fireworks Festival, Taitung’s Bombing of Lord Han Dan, and Pingxi’s Sky Lantern Festival.
"This festival has gone on for more than a century. It purifies the harbor and excises evil spirits by people swimming to the opposite bank and then on land walking barefoot over hot coals three times to stop disasters, eliminate pollution, pray for people's well-being, and welcome good luck,” said Yehliu Baoan Temple Chairman Lin Yuanzhuang (林元莊) in a UDN report.
Advanced registration for the sea jumping activity was conducted with some 200 people registering, though ultimately only 100 people participated. This included some participants who came from as far away as Australia and Columbia and some local participants who livened up the activities by coming dressed as comic characters like Batman and Cat Woman.
