Celebrate the Sea Goddess: Tin Hau Jiao of Triangular Island

Description

Organised by the Triangular Island Goddess of Tin Hau Shrine of Peace Association, this annual Jiao festival unfolds over two days in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter. Normally celebrated on the 21^st and the 22^nd days of the fifth lunar month, the festival will be held on 3 and 4 July this year. Dedicated to Tin Hau, the sea goddess long venerated by Hong Kong’s fishing communities, the festival centres on a sequence of Taoist rites that purify, invite and appease both deities and wandering spirits.

Ceremonies include the opening of the altar, enshrinement, ritual washing, offerings to the Dipper and the symbolic crossing of sacred gates. These are interwoven with kung fu performances, communal offerings of meals, the feeding of water ghosts, and the release of animals — gestures that reflect both spiritual obligation and vernacular belief. Set against the floating landscape of the typhoon shelter, the Jiao embodies a living maritime tradition shaped by ritual, performance and collective memory.

Photo courtesy of Intangible Cultural Heritage Office.