chasingthefiredragon

chasing the fire dragon

Pokfulam, Hong Kong

The Mid-Autumn Festival in the Chinese world is almost equivalent to the Western world’s Thanksgiving Day. It’s an important tradition where family should gather and share the joy of full moon. There’s a rich history behind this and a tale to tell. The tale is about two lovers being apart from earth and moon. In Hong Kong, we have a ritual/tradition in villages using the fire dragons as a symbol; to prevent plagues and demons from entering their village. The tradition was first dated in the early 19th century. And now it has become an important tourist-to-do in every September.

At the Pokfulam Village, it is nothing like those historic remains in the New Territories. It’s more like a favela sort of village which has been around since 18th century. Houses were built with temporary metal sheets, overhead power lines, old fashion TV antennas can be seen everywhere. Not until earlier this year, I passed by the village with bus trips and googled about it. It’s really even more dramatic if you realize Pukfulam is famous for the sea view-ready luxury apartments along the mountains.

With such confined space around the village. I thought it was a joke until I saw half the body had entered. They broke up the dragon into at least two parts. The head and body were separated. The dragon visited door-to-door to give good wish.

All that smokiness, smell of the burning sticks, falling ashes, the glowing dragon, the festive drum beats and chanting have preserved the spirit and heritage of Hong Kong people. This is something I’m very proud of. Hong Kong gives me the identity.