A-Ma Temple

When the Portuguese first arrived in Macau in the 16th century, the first ship landed on a sandy beach on the southwestern end of the peninsula. Nearby stood a small temple, looking out to sea. The sailors asked the local people what the place was called. "Ma-gok", they replied. The ancient temple to the sea goddess Mazu, or A-Ma, ultimately gave Macau its name.

A-Ma Temple

The temple, dating back to the late 15th century, is one of the oldest in Macau. The temple is neither completely Buddhist nor Taoist, but rather represents what is known as Chinese Folk Religion, a blend of the three traditional teachings of China (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism) and animistic folk beliefs.

prayer charms at the temple

Specifically, the temple is dedicated to Mazu, the sea goddess and protectors of fishermen, sailors, and those who live along the coast. The sea is an important, but powerful and sometimes dangerous part of life in Macau, and it's no wonder that Mazu became the region's most revered goddess.

slow burning spirals of fragrant incense at the A-Ma Temple

After a long day exploring peninsular Macau, we arrived at the A-Ma Temple in the late afternoon. The sun was already low in the sky, and the temple was crowded with both locals and tourists. It's a sprawling complex, built on the side of a hill and consisting of dozens of individual rooms, shrines, gates, and halls. From nearly every rafter, spirals of incense burn slowly, sending twisting snakes of fragrant smoke to fill the air.

a central shrine at the A-Ma temple

The A-Ma temple is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the oldest temples in all of Macau. It's a part of the Historical Center of Macau, and one of the oldest structures on the peninsula.

prayer tags

As we climbed the steps leading to the upper chambers of the temple, we passed several stones inscribed in Chinese characters. I assume that they must be blessings or prayers of some sort.

inscribed stone

Already tired after a long day walking across all of Macau on foot, the crowds were beginning to make me a bit grumpy. Unfortunately, we seemed to have visited the temple at the most popular time in the day (Macau feels nearly empty in the morning, but in the afternoon, everything becomes crowded). There were too many people there, although I did enjoy visiting the historical site.

temple gates

The temple feels very eclectic; due to its age, numerous small shrines to various deities and religious figures have been built at the complex. There are shrines to Buddha, Budai (the fat Buddha), and others.

a shrine to Mazu

The first day in Macau had been a full one, but we still had another full day before heading off to Hong Kong on the next stage of the long trip home.

A-Ma Temple, Macau