Tai Po Night Dragon Boat Parade

At Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat races are held in various districts in Hong Kong. Dragon boat water parades are held at traditional fishing areas, such as Tai O, Tai Po and Cheung Chau. The Tai Po Yuen Chau Tsai Shek clan and members of the Wing Chuen Tong of the Chung's of Tai Po hold the night dragon boat parade in the evening of the 4th day and the morning of the 5th day of the fifth lunar month during the Dragon Boat Festival every year. Held off the shore of Sam Mun Tsai, Tai Po, the parade was carried out to pray for the blessings of the deities and safety of the community on land and at sea. The Shek's would invite the statue of the Song emperor onto their dragon boat while the Chung’s would invite the statues of Man Cheong and Wah Kwong onto theirs. At present, clan members still throw divination blocks to seek detailed instructions from the deity in Hoklo dialect with regard to, for instance, the starting time of the night dragon boat parade, the location of performing the custom of plucking the greens and the routing. Through the night dragon boat parade, the two communities join hands to uphold their traditions. Reunion meals are also organised before and after the rituals as a means to strengthen unity. All these serve to solidify the connections within and between the clans.

 

 

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