Tam Kung Festival (Lord Tam)

Tam Kung Festival | Areas
Tam Kung Festival | Date
Tam Kung Festival| Historical evolution
Tam Kung Festival | Events

Tam Kung Festival | Areas

Eastern district, Wan Chai district, Southern district and Tai Po district

Tam Kung Festival | Date

The 8^thday of the fourth lunar month

Tam Kung Festival | Historical evolution

There are various opinions about the origin of Tam Kung. Some say that his real name is Tam Tak, also known as Tao. He is depicted as a child-like figure. According to the Huizhou Prefecture Annals, Tam Kung was from Guishan in Huizhou and practiced cultivation on Jiulong Peak in Huizhou. He achieved enlightenment at a young age and would carry a wooden staff when he descended from the mountain. It is believed that he had a tiger accompanying him to carry things for him. People prayed to Tam Kung for rain or clear weather, and because their prayers were answered, they built temples dedicated to him. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, due to his miraculous abilities in pacifying chaos, the imperial court bestowed upon him the title “Xiangji”. Another belief is that Tam Kung’s name was Tan Qiao and he was worshipped as a deity because he could control wind and rain and heal illnesses.

There are currently four Tam Kung temples in Hong Kong located in Shau Kei Wan, Wong Nai Chung, Aberdeen, and Tung Ping Chau respectively. The statues of Tam Kung enshrined in these temples are said to depict Tan Tak who achieved immortality through cultivation on Jiulong Peak in Huizhou at a young age. Devotees celebrate his attainment of immortality on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

It is said that during Hong Kong’s early development period when there was extensive construction work requiring large amounts of stone materials, stone workers from Huizhou came to work at Ah Gong Rock Quarry in Shau Kei Wan. They invited Tam Kung from Jiulong Peak in Huizhou to come to Hong Kong and thus introduced his worship here. At the same time, many fishing boats docked at Ah Gong Rock Quarry in Shau Kei Wan; fishermen believed that Tam Kung could protect their safety at sea, so they worshipped him as a sea god.

Tam Kung Festival | Events

The traditional celebration ceremony starts on the seventh day of the lunar April, and each place has its own characteristics. Among them, the Tam Kung festival in Shau Kei Wan is relatively large in scale. The Tam Kung festival in Shau Kei Wan lasts for two days, with special activities including inviting gods, parades, setting off firecrackers, god opera performances, and sending off gods. There will also be dragon dance and lion dance performances during the parade.

In addition, the Tam Kung festival in Wong Nai Chung also has a certain scale. Devotees will hold a four-day celebration from the seventh to tenth day of the even-numbered lunar April. Activities include inviting gods, parades, god opera performances, and sending off gods.