The "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" is part of Hong Kong traditional beliefs and customs.
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"Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festivals are celebrated by village alliances
or market town districts.
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| God altar |
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The "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festival is held by some families or village clans in Hong Kong. People believe that it is an effective way of communicating with Heaven and God. In return, Heaven and God reciprocate.
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Conservative Confucianist rites are performed
during worshipping. As the structure of community becomes more
complicated the role of recreational theatre (opera, puppets) becomes more important
and the importance of traditional rituals declines.
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| Taoist priests visiting village |
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Through the performance of a series of Taoist ceremonies worshipping Heaven and God, villagers receive good fortune and are protected from evils. Villagers take this occasion to offer sacrifices and Chinese Opera to thank for the protection in the past ten years.
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A Taoist priest and some watchmen worship the gods at different locations in the
surrounding villages.
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| Taoist priest |
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A large and beautiful "Paang" temporary structure is erected.
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| Large temporary main structure |
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The "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" is a sacrificing and worshipping activity performed by communities to give thanks for the blessing of a deity and pray for peace, penance for sins and rebirth.
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At night time, the huge entrance of the "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festival seems mystical with
the beautiful Cantonese opera songs echoing in the darkness.
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| Huge entrance |
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The "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festival last for five days. Villagers begin a vegetarian diet for the first four days. On the fifth day, the vegetarian diet is removed and the festival reaches its summit.
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People can enjoy all kinds of ceremonies during the festival including
Cantonese operas and puppet shows.
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| Opera entrance |
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During the Worship Festival even villagers living overseas come back to take part in the festival.
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Pictures inside the Chinese Opera compound is not allowed but still
accepted from outside as long as no flash is used.
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| Cantonese Opera |
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After the seven-day rites period, the large "Paang" temporary structure is modified to be used as the opera theatre. The raised area originally partitioned for the Taoist rites, puppet plays and the ancestral altar is converted into the opera stage. The rest of the structure becomes a raised audience seating area divided into left and right halves.
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People not willing to pay the Chinese Opera fee can still watch it from outside the
compound but it is quite far away. Some guards are checking tickets and preventing free
riders. Some people still manage to sneak when guards lose attention.
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| Cantonese Opera |
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In the afternoon before the first opera performance, the rite of exorcism, "Jai Baak Fu", is performed by the opera players on the stage. The opera troupe's ritual practice is to perform this ritual only at places where there had never been any theatrical performance before.
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Sometimes guards are also present in front of Cantonese Opera
backstage. Negotiation is then required to be allowed to take pictures of
the performers.
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| Cantonese Opera singer |
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In the Cantonese opera troupe, there is a few stars. Each star
has his own room that can be temporary closed with curtains. Inside
a local helper assists for the clothes changing and also iron the costumes.
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| Cantonese Opera singer |
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Some villagers representatives for the "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festival
visit the Cantonese opera backstage and cheer one of the Cantonese opera stars.
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| Cantonese Opera singer |
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The "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festival is held in New Territories once every decade and is celebrated by a whole clan as well as people from the neighbouring villages.
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Make-up is a special art in Chinese operas where it distinguishes different roles
and reveals their dispositions and moral aspects.
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| Cantonese Opera singer |
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| Day Selection | Two years before a selection is done to choose the good day for "Tai Ping Ching Chiu" festival. |
| Festival preparation | Establishment of an organizing committee, choosing representative worshippers, regulations for collecting contributions, methods for registration of members, choice of auspicious dates, contracts with Taoist priests, opera troupes and for construction of temporary structures, a list of those who will be invited to participate in the ceremony on the main day and schedule of daily worship by different member villages. |
| vegetarian diet for villagers | Seven days before the ceremony, the chief and the deputy have to take vegetarian diet and the villagers will start to take vegetarian diet four days before the festival. |
| The first day | At 9AM, a Taoist priest together with all watchmen will read aloud the list of all villagers, to burn the hell paper money, to set off firework and to strike up a tune. |
| The second day | A Taoist priest and all watchmen worship the god at different locations. |
| The third day | They go again into the houses of villagers to worship the god. |
| The fourth day | A Taoist priest helps to set up the shrine and burns Taai Si Wong at night |
| The fifth day | At midnight, worship will take place and villagers are allowed to eat meat. |
Click to see more pictures |
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