It's going to be quite a party when around 1,000 Tap Mun villagers from Europe and Hong Kong meet in 2009 on their home island in Mirs Bay. They will all be giving thanks to goddess of the sea Tin Hau for saving their ancestors during a super-typhoon in 1799.
A statue of the goddess will be carried from the magnificent island temple to a fishing boat decorated with clan banners and flags, which will lead a procession of honour encircling the 2-km-sq island.
Village representative Lam Yun-loi was born on the island but, at the age of three, was taken to Britain where his parents - like many of the islanders - had migrated to seek work. The island's economy had been plunged into gloom because of the boycott of trade with China, which began during the Korean war.
In recent months, Mr Lam has been visiting Europe to raise money to finance the five day dai chiu celebrations. The tradition dates back to 1799, when a villager married a girl from San Mun Tsai in Tolo Harbour. As the wedding flotilla entered the harbour at Tap Mun, the wind began to howl. Legend says that most of the boats were destroyed and the desperate revellers clung to the rocks and prayed to Tin Hau. They vowed to put on an opera in her honour every 10 years if they survived. Miraculously, most did.
The celebrations in 2009 will be the 21st; Tap Mun villagers keep their promises. Mr Lam says about 1,000 Tap Mun natives live around the world, mostly in Britain. Half of them will come back for the festival. 'The celebration will cost about HK$5 million and I'm confident we will raise it,' said Mr Lam. That will pay for special vegetarian meals, a huge Chinese opera pavilion and a puppet show from Guangdong with a cast of 25.
The festival is a colourful and grand spectacle, with more than 20 boats taking part in the procession, banners snapping in the wind, gongs clanging and drums beating furiously. I'd like to see the Tourism Board encourage a local company to organise a boat for locals and visitors to enjoy this little-known festival.
