The annual Guangzhou Matsu Culture Festival will get underway on April 16, at the Matsu Temple, Nansha distrct. The festival is held to worship the Chinese goddess of the sea, Matsu, who provides protection to seafarers and fishermen.

This year, the celebration is to mark the 1,057th anniversary of Matsu's birthday, and is expected to attract thousands of worshippers from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan during the four-day grand gathering.

Goddess Matsu, the Chinese goddess of the sea, is said to protect seafarers and fishermen. The 14.5-meter-tall sacred statue of Matsu is located southeast of Guangzhou's Dajiao Mountain in Nansha district, Guangzhou. [Photo by Chen Hong/Xinhua]

The festival will host a series of cultural and artistic folk performances, including a magnificent performance of Ode to Goddess by more than 300 young performers dressed in traditional costumes.

A grand and solemn sacrifice ceremony will also be held on the opening day, where pilgrims from the Nansha Matsu Culture Association will pay tribute to Matsu and reproduce traditional folk worship rituals.