Saturday, December 31, 2016

A-Ma Festival Cantonese Opera and Other Activities

Join the A-Ma Festival in April/May

The A-Ma Festival is held around April or May, specifically on the 23rd day of the Third Moon in the Chinese calendar.

A-Ma Festival or Mazu’s birthday-festival is on the twenty-third day of the third lunar month of the lunar calendar. It falls in late April or early May according to the Gregorian calendar.

Usually a Cantonese Opera is held in front of the temple. The operas have double function: to reward the mercy of A-Ma and to entertain the public.

&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The popular A-Ma culture has a long history in Macau. Some famous Cantonese opera troupes are usually invited to Macau&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; to perform each year, praying for divine mercy, good weather, safe sea journey and peaceful lives.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Macau has three Tin Hau temples (in Coloane, Macau Peninsula, and Taipa respectively). The name Macau is thought to be derived from the Templo de A-Má (A-Ma Temple) (媽閣廟, Cantonese Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6, local pronunciation: Maa5 Gok3 Miu6 or Maa5 Gok3 Miu5).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In 2009, the Mazu belief and custom (including the A-Ma Festival) was designated as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In Hong Kong, the festival is also a very important event. Hong Kong’s maritime heritage endows the Goddess of the Sea Tin Hau the role of patron saint of fishermen. Thus has a strong and loyal following here. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;On A-Ma Festival birthday, Hong Kong locals flock to the more than 70 temples dedicated to her in Hong Kong to pray for safety, security, fine weather and full fishing nets during the coming year. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Celebrations of the A-Ma Festival include colourful parades of fa pau (floral wreaths), lion dances a fa pau raffles, and decorated procession of fishing boats.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A-Ma is also know as Mazu. The following is the wikipedia entry:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mazu (traditional Chinese: 媽祖; simplified Chinese: 妈祖), also spelt Matsu and Ma-tsu, is the Chinese goddess of the sea who is said to protect fishermen and sailors. The worship of Mazu began in the Song Dynasty. Mazu is widely worshipped in the southeastern coastal regions of China, especially in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hainan. She is also an important deity in Taiwan. Mazu is also worshiped in East and Southeast Asia.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Her birthplace was Meizhou (湄州) in Putian County (莆田縣), Fujian Province. She was born in the year 960.[1] Her family had the surname Lin (林).[1][2] She had the name Lin Moniang (Chinese: 林默娘). She died on 4 October 987. After her death, she was remembered as a young lady in a red dress, who would forever roam over the seas.

Homage is paid to Macau’s most popular deity, the Goddess of Seafarers, from whom Macau is said to derive its name.

The maiden A-Ma (also known as Tin Hau) ordered the elements to calm down when a storm threatened a boat. The
winds abated. On the spot where the boat reached land, the grateful mariners built the A-Ma Temple.

A-Ma Festival is the day day when seafarers and their families visit the ancient temple in the Inner Harbour.

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