「三月瘋媽祖」，一年一度盛大的宗教盛事---媽祖要出巡啦！著名的像是大甲媽祖、白沙屯媽祖、南瑤宮媽祖等等各方神明互相拜訪、繞境等等，每每總是吸引大批信眾相迎，不僅是台灣本土信眾心中的高光時刻，也吸引了許多外媒和外國人報導和參與。不論你的信仰是甚麼，身為台灣人相信你一定多少聽過大甲媽祖的繞境活動，這為期9天8夜的徒步朝聖之旅，不僅活絡了地方宗教活動，也連結了許多人與人之間的關係！今天小編就帶帶大家用英文介紹本土的在地文化，做個文化的外交寶寶。
本土文化的10個重要有關英文名詞
●道教Taoism
普遍燒香(burn the incense)燒金紙 (burn the paper money)以及多神論。台灣普遍民間信仰。
● 佛教Buddhism
不燒香不燒金紙，一種近似哲學的宗教，講究因果輪迴，來世再生，苦行僧的概念。
●媽祖Matsu
台灣與中國東南沿海的海神，本名林默娘，因救出海的爸爸而溺死，她庇佑著漁民。詳情請看媽祖的故事。
●大甲媽祖遶境Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage
台灣最大宗教活動之一，總時間為步行９天８夜。從彰化到嘉義，意為媽祖巡視與大甲鎮瀾宮有關的廟宇。被UNESCO認定為世界文化現存遺產(world living heritage)
● 信眾Worshipper
有著某種信仰、崇拜的人，基本動詞是worship (v.) 崇拜，膜拜。
● 舞龍舞獅Dragon and lion dance
廟會喜慶活動時最常見的兩種表演形式。
●陣頭The leader of the parade(Zhentou)
民間祭祀或廟會活動時最常見的表演形式之一，種類繁多，常見的有八家將、宋江陣、官將首等等。
●三太子Santaizi:
The third prince 三太子，不是sometimes 喔！
●Loyal attendant:
Matsu忠實的僕人，eyes that see a thousand miles and ears that hear upon the wind (順風耳和千里眼)
●神轎 Sedan chair
也就是媽祖繞境的時候的坐騎啦！
Conversations about Taiwanese Culture
A: Hey, Sam, welcome to Taiwan! How long are you going to stay here?
A: 嗨Sam，歡迎到台灣來！你這次打算待多久呢？
B: About 10 days. Do you know of any interesting Taiwanese events during my stay?
B: 大概10天左右吧！你知道在這個期間，台灣有哪些有趣的活動嗎?
A: You should check out the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage. It is held in March in the lunar calendar and it lasts for 9 days and 8 nights. Millions of people will participate in this religious event. During this long walk, you can see fireworks, dragon and lion dances, even electronic Santaizi, and a lot of local and traditional performing arts.
A: 你應該參觀每年農曆三月大甲媽祖遶境９天８夜的活動。百萬人會參加這個宗教活動。在這隨媽祖走的時候，你會看到煙火，舞龍舞獅，電音三太子，非常本地的傳統表演藝術。
B: Where should I stay during this long walk?
B: 那我這期間應該睡哪呢?
A: Of course you can stay at the hotel, but there are many kind people who are willing to provide their homes for worshippers to crash for a night. Temples will prepare unlimited vegetarian foods for thousands of participants when they are hungry.
A: 當然你可以睡飯店拉。但這時會有很多好心人願意提供他們的家給信徒當作睡一晚的地方。廟宇也會準備無限的素食食物給上千上萬的信徒餓時吃。
B: That will suit me as a backpacker. How should I start?
B: 這樣很適合我這種背包客也，我該如何開始呢？
A: Google the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage. You can find the route and decide which day you want to join.
A: 上網搜尋大甲媽祖遶境的路線，你再決定哪一天你要參加。
B: I can't wait to see the craziness and the crowd of the Taiwanese traditional culture. I am going to take many pictures and be ready for the unknown surprises.
B: 我等不及要來看到台灣傳統文化的瘋狂與擁擠的人群。我會照很多很棒的照片並等待這未知的驚喜！！
更多拜拜祭祀英文
●拜拜、祭拜 worship
●祭品、供品 offerings
●鞠躬 bow
●燒香burn the incense / 點香 light the incense
要燒香之前要先就燭火點燃香柱，這個動作就是點香。
●燒金紙/紙錢 burn the joss paper money
金紙也有一說是spirit money，總之就是陰間的貨幣，用來焚燒奉獻給神祇或是亡靈使用的。
●香爐the incense burner / 金爐 the joss paper money burner
●擲茭 throw divination blocks
擲茭是信徒用來和神明溝通的管道之一，有點像是占卜，透過投擲茭杯(divination blocks)的結果來了解神的旨意；因為茭杯的擺放結果比較單一，通常問題的答覆比較像是是非題的選項。
●抽籤 draw a fortune stick / 籤詩 a fortune poem
抽籤詩也可以視為溝通管道的一種，透過籤詩的解讀來了解福禍吉凶。不過因為籤詩通常內容比較間接隱晦，有時還需要請廟方的人員幫忙解讀說明。
Conversations about Taiwanese Culture
A: So how was your experience with Daja Matsu?
A：你參加大甲媽祖遶境的感覺怎麼樣呀？
B: It was amazing! Everything was so magical. The worshippers, the temples and all the rituals were very new to me. There were so many things to see and experience!
B：超讚的！所有的東西都好奇幻。信徒們、寺廟和許許多多的儀式對我來說都好新鮮。太多東西可以看和體驗了！
A: Did you try anything interesting during the trip?
A：這趟旅程中你有嘗試了甚麼有趣的事嗎？
B: Actually I did. I followed the traditional worship rituals to bow and burn the joss money. I even threw divination blocks and drew a fortune stick!
B：還真的有喔！我遵循了傳統的祭拜儀式鞠躬和燒紙錢，甚至擲了茭和抽籤喔！
A: Sounds cool! As a Taiwanese myself, I haven't touched divination blocks and fortune sticks before!
A：酷斃了！我身為一個台灣人，我從沒有碰過茭杯和籤詩哩！
B: Hahaha! I can show you how it works if you want to give it a try!
B：哈哈哈~如果你想要嘗試看看的話，我可以教你怎麼做喔！
巨匠課程推薦
想必有了這篇，介紹大甲媽祖給外國朋友不再霧煞煞，更多有趣的英文課程，都在巨匠美語的ECAM主題課程，每個月都有不同的主題，讓你在生活中就可以輕鬆學英文！