Mazu's Birthday
9 May 2026 · movable holiday — Calm winds and safe journeys to all who sail the sea!
Mazu is revered in China and in Chinese communities around the world as the protector of sailors and fishermen. According to tradition, she was a real woman named Lin Mo, also called Lin Moniang, born on the coast of Fujian province around 960 CE. After her death, people began to invoke her as a guardian of those at sea. Her birthday is observed on the 23rd day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar, so the date moves each year against the Gregorian calendar and usually falls in April or May. In temples, worshippers burn incense and candles and offer fruit and food. In some places, processions carry a statue of Mazu amid music and performances. The best-known celebrations take place in Taiwan and Fujian. The lunar calendar follows the phases of the Moon: the third month begins with a new moon, and the 23rd day comes after the full moon, when the Moon is waning. Sailors once steered by the stars, so a lantern and a lighthouse among them suit her story well.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and fine lines, like a constellation: a small fishing boat with a single red lantern glowing at its bow, guided by a bright lighthouse beam across a sea of stars
Sources
Positions in Astronativa are astronomically exact. The interpretation is for inspiration. · Glossary · Terms · Privacy · Thank you