Matsu's festival attracts pilgrims from all over Taiwan. The Matsu festival is a major cultural and religious event in Taiwan. Matsu is a goddess, credited with the power to rescue seafarers in peril on the deep. Matsu was a female shaman who lived in Fujian Province from 960 to 987. Crossing the "black water" between mainland China and Taiwan is extremely hazardous and Matsu is credited with rescuing many people from drowning at sea.