Loyalty and Justice at Kwan Tai Festival 2025

Description

Each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month — 18 July 2025 — the Kwan Tai Festival is observed at temples around Hong Kong, including Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan, Sham Shui Po’s Kwan Tai Temple, and the ancient temple in Tai O. Worshippers present offerings and participate in lion dances, incense rituals, and ceremonies to celebrate Kwan Tai, a deity venerated in Taoism, Buddhism, and local folk tradition, who is also known as Guan Yu.

Kwan Tai’s image — red-faced and bearing the symbol of “yang” energy — reflects his roots as a legendary general from the Three Kingdoms era. His virtues of brotherhood and integrity have made him a patron not only for merchants and police, but also for a wide cross-section of Hong Kong society. Temples, homes, and businesses across the city feature his icon, with the festival blending history, legend, and everyday belief into a shared moment of remembrance and ritual.