A five-minute primer on an issue making headlines
Tens of thousands visited more than 70 Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong ahead of the Taoist sea goddess' birthday last Thursday. In addition to prayers and worship, believers celebrated the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar year with dragon boat races, lion dances, Chinese opera, and boat and flower parades.
So who is this sea goddess?
According to legend, Tin Hau was born in Po Tin county, Fujian , in 960AD. Named Lin Muoniang - or silent girl, because she did not cry for months after she was born - she possessed special powers to control the ocean. Lin, who supposedly always dressed in bright red, was known to wait by the shore to guide fishing boats home. Staring out at the sea while chanting spells under her breath, she saved many fishermen - including her brothers and father - from deadly storms.
How does she compare with other sea goddesses?
Unlike most western goddesses, Tin Hau is not known for her sex appeal. When people think of Greek and Roman sea goddesses, like Venus, Thetis and Stella Maris, they picture ethereal beings with glowing complexions, flowing locks and sexy white robes. Tin Hau has dark skin, wears an old red robe and sits on a grass mat. The romantic themes associated with female goddesses are lost with Tin Hau. She is also one of the luckier goddesses - she did not have to suffer a tragic end to become an otherworldly force. Unlike Inuit goddess Sedna - whose father threw her overboard and cut her fingers off one joint at a time when she hung onto the side of the boat - Tin Hau's death was painless. When she was 28 years old, she climbed a mountain and flew to heaven.