When it comes to celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, no event is grander than the traditional Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance. This cherished tradition is making a comeback this year, having been cancelled for three years due to the pandemic.
What is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance?
With more than 100 years of history, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is an annual ritual that commemorates the triumph over a plague that once broke out in Tai Hang in 1880. This tradition sees a magnificent dragon – spanning 67 metres and meticulously crafted using thousands of incense sticks – paraded through the streets of Tai Hang by 300 performers. In 2011, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance was inscribed onto the third national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
When is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance happening?
The dance will take place from September 28 to 29, between 8.15pm to 10.30pm; and from 8.15pm to 10pm on September 30. Special traffic arrangements are in place to facilitate the event, Be sure to make note of any road closures, traffic diversions, and the suspension of parking spaces.
Where will the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance take place?
The Fire Dragon will first head to the Lin Fa Kung Temple in Tai Hang to pay homage to the Goddess of Mercy on the night of welcoming the full moon and consecrate the Fire Dragon in the temple. Afterwards, the fire dragon would arrive at the starting point of Ormsby Street, where all the dragon dancers burn incense and place it on the Fire Dragon. Then, officiating guests would perform the ceremony of hanging red hairpins and dotting the eyes of the Fire Dragon, before the event officially begins.
What else is there to do?
There will also be various photo spots in Tai Hang, including the Tai Hang Dragon Heritage Centre, the Tai Hang Residents Welfare Association, and the intersection of Causeway Bay Road. A dragon tea stall is also set up at 16 Wan Sha Street. Find out more on the official Instagram page.