The Tanyang Tianhouguan Temple Fair is a sacrificial activity for the people of Tanxi to believe in and worship Mazu. It has a long history and a wide range of content. It has both the distinctive characteristics of marine culture and the characteristics of local folk customs, as well as the ideological characteristics of Taoism and Confucianism and a strong national color. It has certain historical, practical and artistic value. It has been included in the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Shanwei City. The Tanyang Tianhou Palace Fair has a history of more than 600 years. According to the Lin family genealogy "Changlin Style", its ancestor Lin Minglong originally lived in Chengxiang District, Putian City. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1395 AD), he moved to Tanyong Village, Lufeng, and also brought Mazu incense. Later, a palace was built for worship. The Tanyang Tianhou Palace was first built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, but due to various historical reasons, it was moved many times in Tanyang. The current Tianhouguan was rebuilt in the 28th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1690 AD). During the Daoguang and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty, it was repaired and maintained many times. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the temple fair of the Queen of Heaven in Damyang still retained its former grandeur, but large-scale activities were interrupted, and only small circles of villagers worshipped in scattered circles. During the Cultural Revolution, the Queen of Heaven Temple was used as a warehouse by the town supply and marketing cooperative. It was restored in 1988, and a board of directors was elected. In 1991, the layout of the three-courtyard quadrangle was rebuilt, and the original appearance was basically restored. For more than 20 years, the three-year-old Queen of Heaven Temple fairs have been unprecedentedly grand, with strong incense and extraordinary bustle. There are two reasons why the people of Damyang believe in and worship Mazu. First, Mazu is a real historical figure, whose surname is Lin and name is Mo. She is the seventh-great-granddaughter of Lin Yungong, the governor of Shaozhou in the Tang Dynasty. She was smart and insightful since childhood. After she grew up, she knew astronomy and medical theory, was eager to help others, and died for rescuing people from shipwrecks. Her deeds are touching. Second, after Mazu was deified, she repeatedly showed her holiness to help the poor and the needy, helping Zheng Chenggong to cross the sea to recover Taiwan and Zheng He to sail to the West seven times, becoming the spiritual sustenance of the ancient ancestors who worked at sea to fight against nature. Friends around the world call Mazu the Chinese Goddess of Peace. The temple fair of Tanyang Tianhou Temple is a precious cultural heritage that inherits the excellent traditional culture of our ancestors, educates future generations to be good and kind, win people over with virtue, and serve the country. Temple fairs are generally held on a yearly basis, with a small celebration every year and a large sacrifice every ten years. On the 19th day of the first lunar month every year, people pray for blessings for the people, on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, a temple fair for the birthday of the Holy Mother of Tianhou is held, and on the 9th day of the ninth lunar month, Mazu's ascension to heaven is worshipped. On the 19th day of the first lunar month every year, Mazu ascends to the throne. After Mazu goes out on a parade through the streets, she will "go to the community" to accept the worship of the people of 32 villages. Starting from the 14th day of the first lunar month, each village has set up a Mazu incense table for the villagers to worship; each household also sets up an incense table to welcome the god; believers from neighboring villages also carry meat and vegetable meals, incense, candles, firecrackers, Mazu lanterns and other rich offerings, and come to the temple to worship in an endless stream. Pray for Mazu to bless the population with peace and good weather. The harvest of grains is abundant and the livestock is thriving. The ceremony of the "Zoushe" activity on that day is very spectacular. There is a gong in front, followed by big signs of "silence" and "avoidance", colorful flags, banners and umbrellas, etc., followed by more than a hundred elders in robes, followed by cultural and entertainment teams, lion dances, dragon dances, bands, etc. Mazu sits on the throne sedan chair, and four strong men hold the four corners of the sedan chair and run at the fastest speed. Mazu's sedan chair ranks fifth, and the four sedan chairs in front are respectively occupied by other gods, including the "Three Mountain Kings" and so on. The stage is high in the cultural square in front of the temple, and various operas are performed. At night, Kirin cannons and fireworks are set off. This continues for six consecutive days, and it is very lively; the 23rd day of the third lunar month is Mazu's birthday. On this day, people put rich offerings in front of the temple. There are whole pigs, whole sheep, meat and vegetable banquets, five banquets, etc. Then perform the three kneeling and nine knocking ceremony. The sacrificial ceremony includes: one chief priest, one singing, one lead singer, one general singer, one mute singer, and four literary students. Villagers from more than 30 villages came to worship Mazu; the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the day when Mazu ascended to heaven. This time, a Taoist altar was set up and Taoist priests were invited to chant scriptures. The Taoist altar was set up in the main hall of Mazu, and the altar was filled with a variety of meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, tea, fruit and other rich offerings. The cultural square in front of the hall was filled with offerings from villagers from more than 30 villages. During the worship process, there were crowds of people and the incense was strong. There were also plays and movies. The Tanyang Tianhou Palace Fair has a long history and a wide range of content. It has both the distinctive characteristics of marine culture, the characteristics of local folk customs, and the ideological characteristics of Taoism and Confucianism. It has a strong national color and religious characteristics; the Tanyang Tianhou Palace Fair is an organic carrier of Mazu belief and Mazu culture. While receiving Mazu cultural education, believers worship Mazu in the most advanced form in the local area, reflecting the characteristics of folk worship; the Mazu spirit symbolizing "peace and friendship" and the Mazu virtue of "helping the poor and the needy" are not only respected by the people of Damyang, but also accepted by overseas Chinese. For example, in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and even Europe, America, Japan and Southeast Asian countries, there are Mazu officials, the carriers of Mazu culture. This reflects the characteristics of adaptability and integration of Mazu culture. The Damyang Tianhou Palace Fair is rich and colorful, with a wide range of dissemination and influence, and has important historical, practical and artistic values: the Tianhou Palace Fair is the most concentrated expression of Mazu belief and a historical product. Mazu is the female sea goddess of the Chinese nation, and is widely worshipped by the common people, gentry and students. Mazu's spirit and virtues are emulated and promoted by the people; in the Damyang Tianhou Palace Fair, the content of the costumes-teams is all-encompassing. The costumes of its sedan chairs, unicorn cannons, gongs and drums, and parade teams are all quite distinctive, giving people artistic appreciation. It is the crystallization of the wisdom of the working people and has high artistic value. Source: "Lufeng Intangible Cultural Heritage"