北臺灣白沙屯媽祖分靈團體之初探

A Preliminary Study of the Branching Associations of Baishatun Mazu in Northern Taiwan

2008年「白沙屯媽祖進香」登錄為苗栗縣文化資產，2010年亦成為國家重要民俗類文化資產，以「無固定路線與行程」及強調「最長距離的徒步進香」為特色，隨著進香活動身份的改變及在便捷的網路媒體影響下，「白沙屯媽祖」的知名度也日漸提高，原本屬於苗栗縣通霄鎮西北一隅的地方信仰，開始出現不一樣的變化。過去，因應白沙屯媽祖「不固定路線」的進香模式，而逐漸演變出的聯誼會組織，大多是以進香途中提供香燈腳補給為主要目的，亦有部分組織延請分靈供人參拜，多分布於白沙屯往北港進香時所經的縣市範圍。然而，近十年來北部地區亦陸續出現與白沙屯媽祖相關的團體，其中有部分團體更是延請白沙屯媽祖分靈供人參拜，同時發展自己的特色與在地性。本文以臺灣北部地區，包含宜蘭、臺北、桃園、新竹的白沙屯媽祖分靈團體作為研究對象，初步探查各組織團體延請白沙屯媽祖分靈的背景因素、組織運作方式、組成成員及與地方的關係等，試圖釐清與白沙屯媽祖進香的文資身份和網路媒體傳播之關聯，得以了解白沙屯媽祖分靈團體在北部地區的發展脈絡。

Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage was registered as Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Miaoli County Government in 2008 and recognized as National Significant Folklore by Ministry of Culture in 2010. The Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage is known for its unfixed route which is also having the longest walking distance among Taiwan's pilgrimage. Under the influence of becoming National Intangible Cultural Heritage and the of blooming of social media network on internet, more and more people know about Baishatun Mazu. All of these made the local religious from Tongxiao,a small town sited in Miaoli County, begun to change. In the past, most volunteer associations of Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage were founded gradually in Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, and Yunlin, where the pilgrimage's unfixed route will pass. And their main purpose is to provide pilgrims with supplies, such as food and water. Some volunteer associations also consecrated a Mazu statue from Gong Tian Temple. However, during the last decade, more and more volunteer associations related to Baishatun Mazu were founded in the northern Taiwan. Some of them even had consecrated a Mazu statue from Gong Tian Temple,and started to show their own characteristics and develop localization. This paper focuses on the volunteer association of Baishatun Mazu in northern Taiwan including Yilan, Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu, especially those are also branching associations of Baishatun Mazu which had consecrated a Mazu statue. The purpose of the study is to understand the development of these branching associations of Baishatun Mazu in northern Taiwan. Through investigating the background factors that made the branching associations of Baishatun Mazu determined to consecrate a Mazu statue, the operation of organizational, the constitutions of members and the relation between the registration of Intangible Cultural Heritage and blooming social media to understand the overall developing context of the branching associations of Baishatun Mazu in Northern Taiwan.