歷代傳說媽祖的父親林愿，別名惟愨。曾任職都巡檢，世居莆田縣忠門鄉港里村，告老還鄉後隱居莆田縣湄洲嶼東螺村。母親王氏，生下一男六女。媽祖誕生於宋太祖建隆元年（西元960年）三月二十三日。出生到滿月期間從不啼哭，因此取名「默娘」或稱「默」。
Legend has it that Mazu's father, Lin Yuan, was also known as Wei Xi. He once served as a metropolitan inspector and lived in Gangli Village, Zhongmen Township, Putian County. After retiring and returning to his hometown, he lived in seclusion in Dongluo Village, Meizhou Island, Putian County. The mother, Mrs. Wang, gave birth to one boy and six girls. Mazu was born on March 23rd in the first year of Jianlong of the Song Dynasty (AD 960). She never cried from birth to full moon, so she was named "Mo Niang" or "Mo"
1.媽祖的生平
八歲：到私塾唸書，就能過目不忘。
十多歲：就喜歡焚香拜佛，誦讀經文。
十三歲：默娘因樂於施捨，得到玄通道士傳授「玄微祕法」。
十六歲：得到井中神人授給的銅符，學會法術，並以符令驅邪救世
，里民稱之為「神女」。父兄出海遇大浪，媽祖駕舟出海
救回父親，然後又找回哥哥的屍首即所謂「機上救親」。
廿一歲：莆田大旱，縣尹求媽祖禱雨濟民成功。
廿三歲：收千里眼、順風耳兩妖怪，皈依正教。往後常在海邊幫助
航海的船隻與村民。
廿六歲：省都官員求媽祖，媽祖焚靈符，金甲神人助媽祖拯救閩浙
水災。
廿八歲：昇天湄洲島的湄峰。聽說「媽祖」的遺體埋在馬祖島，埋
葬的地方現在改建為媽祖廟，並因此取名叫「馬祖」。
1.The life of Mazu
Eight years old:go to a private school, be able to have a photographic memory.
More than ten years old: I like to burn incense, worship Buddha, and recite scriptures.
Thirteen years old: Because Mo Niang was willing to give charity, she was taught the "Xuanwei Secret Technique" by the Xuan Taoist priest.
Sixteen years old: Obtained a bronze talisman from the god in the well, learned spells, and used the talisman to exorcise evil spirits and save the world.
, the people called her "Goddess". My father and brother went out to sea and met big waves, and Mazu went out in a boat
Rescuing his father and then recovering his brother's body is the so-called "rescuing a relative on board".
Twenty-one years old: There was a severe drought in Putian, and the county official asked Mazu to pray for rain to help the people.
Twenty-three years old: Collect the two monsters of Clairvoyance and Shunfeng Ear, and convert to Orthodoxy. always help at the beach
Sailing ships and villagers.
Twenty-six years old: Provincial officials pray to Mazu, Mazu burns spiritual talismans, and the golden-armored god helps Mazu save Fujian and Zhejiang
Flood.
Twenty-eight years old: Ascend to Mei Feng on Meizhou Island. I heard that the body of "Mazu" was buried on Matsu Island.
The burial place is now converted into a Mazu temple, hence the name "Mazu".
2.建廟沿革
相傳清雍正八年（西元一七三 O年 ) 福建省莆田市湄洲島人氏林永興，自湄洲天后祖廟奉請天上聖母來台，途經本地定居謀生，當時移民篤信湄洲媽祖，紛紛前來參拜，聖蹟靈驗，地方縉紳見香火鼎盛，事後徵得林氏同意，擇地於現址，於雍正十年 (西元一七三二年 ) 興建小祠。
乾隆三十五年 (西元一七七 O年 ) 改建小廟口「天后宮」。( 天后宮石碑於民國七十七年五月十八日北側金亭改建掘出 )。乾隆五十二年 ( 西元一七八七年) 重建，始見載於台灣府淡水廳文獻中。往後由大甲分司誠夫宗覲庭、同鄉進士陳峰毫士、地方縉紳連昆山、巧化龍氏屢次發起獻地重建，共襄盛舉，將廟擴建，改稱為「鎮瀾宮」。
民國二十三年 ( 西元一九三四年 ) 十月大甲西門王燕翼先生與地方弟子聯合發起重修鎮瀾宮。翌年四月，清水、后里發生大地震 ，死傷無數，大甲地區卻安然無恙，民眾為感念媽祖神恩祐民，於民國二十五年 ( 西元一九三六年 ) 十月十日落成， 並舉行鎮瀾宮首次祈安清醮大典。
民國五十三年 ( 西元一九六四年 ) 經信徒代表同意再議重修、並成立大甲鎮瀾宮修建委員會，由主任委員蔡裕傾先生負責至民國六十年 ( 西元一九七一年) 為止歷時七載，共增建南北室二樓、鐘鼓樓、雕刻神龕六座、修整屋頂剪粘等，始廟煥然一新，嚴前總統家淦先生題頒「鎮瀾宮」三字。
民國六十九年 ( 西元一九八四年 ) 地方人士眼見神殿樑柱朽，同年五月十八日，遂經信徒代表大會通過，拆除舊廟，原址改建 , 於同年六月五日舉行動土典禮 , 至民國七十三年 ( 西元一九八四年 ) 十二月二十四日舉行安座三獻大典 , 並舉行二十七項民俗才藝活動。
民國八十三年 ( 西元一九九四年 ) 國曆五月四日大甲鎮瀾宮「鎮瀾文化大樓」依計畫開工興建。國曆十一月二十六日李前總統登輝先生蒞宮參拜祈求國運昌隆頒賜「鎮海安瀾」木匾。
2. History of temple construction
According to legend, in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1730), Lin Yongxing, a native of Meizhou Island in Putian City, Fujian Province, invited the Holy Mother of Heaven from the Tianhou Ancestral Temple in Meizhou to come to Taiwan and settled there to make a living. At that time, immigrants believed in Meizhou Mazu and started to flock to Taiwan. When he came to pay homage, the holy miracle came true. The local gentry saw that the incense was flourishing. Afterwards, with the consent of the Lin family, they chose the current site and built a small temple in the 10th year of Yongzheng (1732 AD).
In the 35th year of Qianlong's reign (AD 177O), the "Tianhou Palace" at the entrance of the small temple was rebuilt. (The stone tablet of Tianhou Palace was excavated on May 18th, 1977 during the renovation of the Golden Pavilion on the north side). It was rebuilt in the 52nd year of Qianlong (1787 AD) and was first recorded in the documents of the Tamsui Department of Taiwan Prefecture. Later, Dajia Branch Secretary Cheng Fu Zong Jingting, fellow Jinshi Chen Fenghaoshi, local gentry Lian Kunshan, and Qiaohua Long family repeatedly donated land for reconstruction, participated in the grand event, expanded the temple, and renamed it "Zhenlan Palace" .
In October of the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934 AD), Mr. Wang Yanyi of Dajia Ximen and local disciples jointly initiated the reconstruction of Zhenlan Palace. In April of the following year, major earthquakes occurred in Qingshui and Houli, causing countless casualties. However, the Dajia area was safe and sound. In order to express gratitude to Mazu for blessing the people, the people built it on October 10, the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936 AD). The first Zhenlan Palace prayer ceremony was held.
In the 53rd year of the Republic of China (1964 AD), with the consent of the believers' representatives, the Dajia Zhenlan Palace Construction Committee was established. It took seven years to build the second floor of the north and south chambers, bell and drum towers, six carved shrines, repair and shearing of the roof, etc. The first temple took on a new look. Mr. Jiagan, the former president, inscribed the title "Zhenlan Palace".
In the 69th year of the Republic of China (1984 AD), local people saw that the beams and pillars of the temple were decaying. On May 18 of the same year, the believers' congress approved the demolition of the old temple and rebuilt it on the original site. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 5 of the same year. Ceremony: On December 24, the 73rd year of the Republic of China (AD 1984), a grand ceremony was held to enshrine the throne and present it, and 27 folk talent activities were held.
On May 4, the 83rd year of the Republic of China (1994 AD), the construction of the "Zhenlan Cultural Building" in Dajia Zhenlan Palace began as planned. On November 26 of the Chinese calendar, former President Lee Teng-hui visited the palace to pray for the prosperity of the country and was awarded the wooden plaque "Zhenhai Anlan".
3.媽祖出巡進香
大甲媽祖遶境進香始自日據時期，早年進香的香客以來自大甲區五十三庄村民為主。二次大戰爆發後進香活動中斷了好幾年 至民國三十七年才恢復進香。早年進香團是全程徒步進行，當進香團南下步行經過尚未興建橋樑的大肚溪和濁水溪時必須涉過湍急溪水，其辛苦與危險可想見一般。此種徒步遶境苦行的方式，歷經百年未變成為大甲媽祖遶境進香的主要特色。百年來不變的傳統，它的可貴之處不只在於數萬綿延不絕的進香隊伍，也不只在於大甲城籠罩的全城歡樂的節慶氣氛。真正令人動容的是每個頭戴斗笠，頂著陽光與風雨的村夫與農婦在八天七夜中以雙足苦行的方式，具體實踐對於自然與神祇的崇敬。
以往大甲媽祖出巡的目標是北港朝天宮，稱為「回娘家」，聲勢浩大的進香隊伍，來回各徒步三天三夜，來參與這個儀式。但76年鎮瀾宮至福建湄州祖廟進香之後，大甲媽祖改往新港奉天宮，號為「繞境進香」，百年傳統雖然改變，但信徒行列依舊十分熱烈。進香日期在元宵節便已擲筊決定，起程當天整個隊伍包括護駕的旗鼓、車隊、戲班、繡旗、神偶、媽祖隆重的鸞輿，以及尾隨數以萬計的香客。經彰化、西螺、土庫至嘉義新港，次日一早舉行祝壽大典後，在廟埕上展開熱鬧的民俗活動，陣頭、戲曲紛陳，喧騰一日才返駕。全程經過30幾個鄉鎮，達300公里之遙。直到4月間，仍有20多天的香期供全省信徒至大甲參拜。
3. Mazu goes on tour to offer incense
Dajia Mazu’s pilgrimage around the country to offer incense began during the Japanese occupation. In the early years, the pilgrims who came to offer incense were mainly villagers from Shisanzhuang, Dajia District. After the outbreak of World War II, the incense pilgrimage was suspended for several years and was not resumed until the 37th year of the Republic of China. In the early years, the incense tour was carried out entirely on foot. When the incense tour group walked south and passed the Dadu River and Zhuoshui River where bridges had not yet been built, they had to wade through the rapid streams. You can imagine the hardship and danger. This ascetic method of walking around the border has become the main feature of Dajia Mazu's pilgrimage after hundreds of years. A tradition that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, its value lies not only in the tens of thousands of people who come to offer incense, but also in the joyful festive atmosphere that surrounds Dajia City. What is really touching is that every villager and peasant woman wearing a bamboo hat, braving the sun and wind and rain, practiced asceticism on their feet for eight days and seven nights, specifically practicing their respect for nature and gods.
In the past, the target of Dajia Mazu’s tour was Chaotian Temple in Beigang, which was called “returning to her natal home.” A large incense-burning procession would walk back and forth for three days and three nights to participate in this ceremony. However, after Zhenlan Palace went to Meizhou Ancestral Temple in Fujian to offer incense in 1976, Dajia Mazu moved to Fengtian Temple in Xingang, which was called "circling the territory to offer incense." Although the century-old tradition has changed, the ranks of believers are still very enthusiastic. The date of the pilgrimage has already been decided by a cast during the Lantern Festival. On the day of departure, the entire procession includes escorting flags and drums, a motorcade, a theater troupe, embroidered flags, idols, Mazu’s grand Luan Yu, and tens of thousands of pilgrims following behind. Passing through Changhua, Xiluo, and Tukuo to Chiayi Xingang, the birthday celebration ceremony was held early the next morning, and lively folk activities started in the temple. There were various performances and operas, and it was noisy for a day before returning. The whole journey passes through more than 30 towns and is 300 kilometers away. Until April, there are still more than 20 days of incense period for believers from all over the province to visit Dajia.
參考資料：台中觀光旅遊網Reference: Taichung Tourism Network
https://travel.taichung.gov.tw/zh-tw/Attractions/Intro/609/%E5%A4%A7%E7%94%B2%E9%8E%AE%E7%80%BE%E5%AE%AE