TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Registration for Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage opened on Wednesday and saw 300,000 people sign up by Friday evening.

Over 100,000 signed up to join the pilgrimage on the first day, reported LTN. With a registration window open through April 9, this year’s pilgrimage is set to break the previous record of 329,118 registered participants, set last year. 

The Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage is Taiwan’s second largest religious event honoring the goddess Mazu after the Daijia Mazu Pilgrimage, which last year drew over 800,000 people at its concluding celebration. This year, the Baishatun Pilgrimage will set off from Miaoli’s Gongtian Temple on April 12.

The manager of Gongtian Temple Chen Chun-fa (陳春發) said the temple initially prepared 300,000 sets of robes for devotees who join. However, given the high number of registrations there may be delays in providing everyone with robes, he said.

A unique aspect of the Baishatun Pilgrimage is that there is no predetermined course. Devotees carrying the sedan will confer with Mazu by casting moon blocks to determine which path the pilgrimage will travel to reach Beigang Chaotian Temple in Yunlin.

Last year’s pilgrimage lasted 10 days and covered more than 300 kilometers, setting the highest record for participation since the event was first organized in the 1860s. The 2025 pilgrimage followed a route that took it through Nantou County for the first time in the event’s history.