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Veneration of Tianhou (Mazu)
Tianhou (literally “celestial empress”), personal name Lin Mo, is also known variously as “Tongxian shennü” (Worthy and efficacious divine woman), “Tianhou shengmu” (Celestial empress—the divine mother), “Mazu” (Maternal ancestor), “Niangma” (Mother), and a nunmber of others.
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何謂天后文化?
積累了千年以上的天后崇拜形成了一種天后文化現象。它既是中國宗教文化的一部分,又與古代中國皇權的政治勢力、航海事業、地方風俗和民間藝術等方面的發展密切相關,所以對天后崇拜的分析不能簡單化。
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信眾怎樣拜祭天后?
天后的崇拜活動是天后文化的重要一環。有些地方拜祭天后時,除一般的三牲、瓜果祭品外,還供奉一些海產,因為善信認為天后是海神,應喜歡食海裏的東西;還有些地方拜天后時獻「天后衣」,表示崇拜者的虔誠。