福興宮 - Fu Xing Temple
福興宮俗稱舊街媽祖廟。奉祀主神是天上聖母(媽祖)。創建於清雍正元年(西元1723年)。廟內留存許多的古物;天上聖母神像、十八羅漢像,雕工細膩,神情生動。兩根石柱和兩座石獅是同治年間所立,石材來自大陸的隴石,也是精工雕琢,乃珍貴的藝術品。廟內還有年代久遠的幾塊牌匾:「海國安瀾」、「好義從風」、「莫不尊親」等,增添廟宇尊榮。現在的廟堂,三樓式殿宇於10幾年增建過,近年來中部地區最隆重的廟宇活動-大甲媽祖出巡,由台中市大甲鎮瀾宮萬人徒步到嘉義縣新港鄉奉天宮活動,途中首要休息站即為西螺福興宮,故每年此時,鎮內湧進萬人信徒、藝陣,比農曆過年還熱鬧,成為西螺鎮內一大盛事。
Fu Xing Temple, situated on the Yanping Road, is commonly known as “Mazu Temple on the Old Street”. It was built in 1723 and consacred to the goddess of sea and navigation Mazu. Many antiquities are treasured inside the temple, e.g. the statue of the goddess, eighteen statues representig some arahats, a stone which cames from the Mount Long in mainland China. Moreover, there are some refined cut and polished jade artifacts and some precious works of art. Therefore, inside the temple there are many thousand-year-old incribed boards that increase the rank and honour of the temple: “The peaceful island”, “The good justice follow the breeze”, “Everyone’s senior relatives” etc... The three-floors-style temple we can se nowadays was built and enlarged in 2004. In recent years the most solemn activity of the temple is Mazu’s visit to Dajia (city in Taizhong county). Lan temple in Dajia involves thousands of people who walk to Feng Tian temple in Xingang (Jiayi) and on their way they have their first important rest in Xiluo’s Fu Xing temple. Since ancient times, every year for the Chinese New Year celebrations, in the town thousands of believers and artists come to celebrate it lively with noise and excitement, turning Xiluo into a big party.