Each year, Hong Kong celebrates the birthday of Tin Hau, also known as the Queen of Heaven and Goddess of the Sea, who enjoys a special place in people's hearts thanks to the territory's long maritime history. Many people in Hong Kong still owe their livelihood to the sea and celebrate Tin Hau's birthday every year.
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Hundreds of people rush to light up the first joss sticks and offer up them
to the goddess Tin Hau.
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| Light up joss sticks |
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To protect fishermen and seafarers, local people offer up joss sticks, small sums of money and oranges to the goddess Tin Hau.
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Oranges, suggestive of immortality and good fortune,
are piled high. Roast suckling pigs protect against ill health and bad luck.
Persimmons represent joy. Pomegranates, with their endless seeds, denote fecundity.
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| Offering to Tin Hau |
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During Tin Hau festival, joss sticks, suckling pigs and white wine are usual offerings.
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These villagers are carrying a 6-meter high "Fa Pau", floral paper offerings,
for celebration of Tin Hau festival.
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| Carrying Fa Pau |
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Tin Hau can forecast the weather and save people from shipwrecks. However, since the decline of the local fishing industry and advances in meteorology, the goddess has expanded her role to watching over families. Hong Kong parents often offload the responsibility of raising their own children to the goddess by making her their godmother.
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The beating of drums is the background music for the fearsome dancers.
Two people wear a colourful paper-mache lion head. With full coordination they
move through graceful gestures, expressing the feelings of the lion.
The lion may be bashful, playful or even angry and the steps of
the performers convey this mood to the audience.
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| Lion dance |
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Local people buy paper spinning wheels which will bring good luck to their home.
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This lion comes to worship Tin Hau. The lion shall not show its bottom to the goddess so
it has to walk backwards.
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| Lion dance |
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On the festive day, believers perform lion dance and drums, carry other items and offer them to Tin Hau deity at Tin Hau Temple.
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Spectacular parade of lion and dragon dancers goes to the local Tin Hau Temple.
There the village teams collect the "Fa Pau", floral paper offerings,
and perform in the temple yard.
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| Dragon dance |
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The most famous festivities for Tin Hau birthday happen in Yuen Long Town with a spectacular parade through the streets. 25 teams of performers, including lion dancers, dragon dancers and other artists formed a procession. From the stadium the teams march back to the Tin Hau Temple at Tai Shue Ha, where tribute is paid to the statue of Tin Hau. This is followed by drawing lots for the right to carry the most prestigious "Fa Pau" next year.
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Beautiful dragon dance worshipping Tin Hau performed on Tsing Yi island.
In the background, a series of "Pai Lau" or traditional decorative billboards
have been erected.
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| Dragon dance |
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The Yuen Long parade, in the New Territories, include colourful floats and lion dances. The procession of parade through the streets takes about two hours.
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When two communities meet, their lions bow to each other's Tin Hau statues.
Sometimes the lions greet each other and have a dance together before
they move on.
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| Lions |
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The Tin Hau birthday festival culminates in a procession and is characterised by floral paper offerings known as "Fa Pau".
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A grand procession features golden dragons, colorful lions and unicorns, and participating
teams from local villages and organisations.
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| Dragon dance |
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Tin Hau birthday events are organised by local Celebration Committees and local Rural Committees.
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Tin Hau is worshipped in more than 70 temples in Hong Kong.
Famous temples include the Tin Hau Temple in Stanley, which was restored in
year 2000.
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| Lions |
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