Sacred night Although the statues themselves would not leave on their palanquins until five minutes after midnight, at 8: 00 or 9: 00 p.m., the leaders of the procession began to start out. By that time, the area around the temple was already jam-packed.
最「神氣」的一夜晚上八、九點開始，雖然離大甲媽祖起駕的十二點零五分還有好幾個鐘頭，媽祖隨駕團的前導香陣已陸續出發，這時的鎮瀾宮附近已經是萬頭鑽動、寸步難行。