Featuring grand worship ceremonies, sculpture parades, as well as a variety of dances and drama performances, the ceremony of welcoming Mazu, the Goddess of the sea in Chinese maritime culture, back to her place of origin was held on Meizhou Island in Putian, southwest China's Fujian Province on April 9. Representative devotees from over 50 Mazu institutions across the world joined the activity, including some from Thailand and Vietnam.
The Mazu belief and customs were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009. The annual event of welcoming Mazu back from across the world to her place of origin – Meizhou Island – in her birthday month was started in 2008 by the Chinese Mazu Culture Exchange Association and Meizhou Mazu Temple. The event has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Fujian Province.