Tin Hau Festival in Hong Kong

Falling on May 9th in 2007, the Tin Hau Festival in Hong Kong is one of the city’s brightest, loudest and most enjoyable celebrations.Tin Hau is known as the Goddess of the Sea and hails from the Taoist religion. The Queen of the Waves maintains high popularity ratings amongst Hong Kongers, due to the close association between the territory and the sea – two other sea-faring nations, Macau and Vietnam also hold Tin Hau in high-regard.Legend has it that over 100 years ago Tin Hau stood on the shore guiding fishing boats home, unperturbed by typhoons and storms. Nowadays she is celebrated as the protector of fishermen and sailors.Celebrations for the festival focus around Joss House Bay in Sai Kung, which houses the city’s main Tin Hau temple. Celebrations are a color explosion, fishing boats come steaming up the bay covered with colored streamers and flags. You can also expect drums, dragon dances and general hub-a-bub of noise and activity and a massive crowd.Adding to the color is the host of fruit and dumplings brought by worshippers, to keep Tin Hau well-fed.You can reach Sai Kung for the celebrations by Bus 92 from Diamond Hill MTR. A more scenic option might be the ferries that service Sai Kung especially for the day (there is usually a ferry from Central Pier).