Luermun Tianhou Temple Introduction
Luerhmen Prosperous Dream, the Cultural Season Continues with Passion. Luerhmen originally referred to a waterway, the main shipping route of Taiwan and the Tainan River, historically known as "Heavenly Danger," a crucial battleground, and the import and export center for "salt, sugar, fabrics, and goods" throughout Taiwan, with the blessings of Mazu for smooth sailing. However, after numerous natural disasters, the Tainan River estuary turned into muddy land, leading to the loss of port functions and the decline of the settlement, transforming it into a small fishing village, with the Mazu Temple also collapsing. After the establishment of the Republic of China, Taiwan's economy recovered, leading to the reconstruction of the site to its present state. The Mazu enshrined in the Luerhmen Mazu Temple was carved from precious "Xuan Zhi wood" from the mainland. The temple's magnificent structure showcases the beauty of Chinese architecture, including the dragon columns, door gods, dougong brackets, the cut and paste art on the roof ridges, earthenware from Taitung, wall carvings, coffered ceilings, corridors, and courtyards, all worth careful visiting at the Luerhmen Mazu Temple. Each year, from the lunar month of December to March of the following year, the Luerhmen Mazu Temple holds a cultural season rich in content and distinctive features, mainly divided into nine major parts: customs and culture, religious beliefs, ancient fishing village traditions, rural nostalgia, tracing the origins of Tainan, public sentiment square, passing on the flame, cultural camps, and publication of cultural materials. This includes folk art, humanistic religion, and natural ecology, with artistic activities held from lunar December to March of the following year, spanning four months. Under the planning and preparation of the Temple Management Committee, there are about 70 dynamic and static exhibitions every year, bringing people into the emotions of history and local culture, reviving long-suppressed enthusiasm and enriching people's inner selves and spirits. (This information reference: Luerhmen Mazu Temple website)
