The Hong Kong paper artisan who makes flower altars and lanterns for Lunar New Year
Meet Kenneth Mo, the craftsman behind the colourful decorations and ornaments that will be used in New Territories traditions to welcome in the Year of the Rooster
Demand for flower altars and lanterns, a village folk tradition at Lunar New Year in Hong Kong’s New Territories, makes this one of the busiest times of the year for Kenneth Mo Cheuk-kei, a paper artisan.
Several bamboo frames that will be made into dragon and lion heads sit in his workshop in Yuen Long, as well as lanterns in various stages of completion.
Standing next to a bamboo frame for a lantern, Mo, 45, who has been in the business for more than 25 years, explains it will be used in a lantern lighting ceremony.
“When families have a male child born during the year, they present these paper lanterns to the ancestral hall, where they are hung from the ceiling with a hook to show the ancestors how many boys were born,” he says. The lanterns are lit, either with candles or light bulbs, from the seventh day of the lunar new year to the 15th day.
