This pair of plaques belongs to a set of procession paraphernalia used during the Goddess of the Sea birthday. Like other procession paraphernalia - the parasol, they announce the arrival of the goddess and reinforce her status as an influential deity.The image of the goddess along with procession idols, are modeled after the imperial family. Her procession paraphernalia thus resembles those used on a royal outing.Similar and simpler procession paraphernalia have been used since the late 18th century in the Fujian province for the Goddess of the Sea birthday celebrations. Beyond South China, her devotees are found mainly amongst Chinese immigrant settlements in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and South East Asia (mainly Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia). During the Cultural Revolution, religious activities like these were banned. However, today it continues to flourish in Taiwan and some of these countries but their scale varies.
