Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City-九龍城汾陽郭氏祭祖

Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City|Introduction
Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City|Areas
Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City|Date
Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City|Historical evolution

Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City| Introduction

The Kwok Fan Yeung Virtue-Promoting Association Hong Kong Limited’s ancestral worship committee organizes an annual ancestral worship ceremony for the Kwok clan. This sacred event takes place from the 11th to the 13th day of the twelfth lunar month. Descendants of the Kwok clan gather together to pay their respects.

During this solemn ceremony, members of the Kwok clan kneel before their ancestors’ tablets, offering prayers and burning incense as a sign of reverence. They also pour wine onto the ground and bow in deep respect. Following these rituals, they proceed to make various offerings in a specific order: tea, wine, soup, rice, and paper offerings.

To honor their heritage and traditions, invocations are recited in the Chiuchow dialect – a language deeply rooted within their community. The entire ceremony is accompanied by traditional Chiuchow music that fills the air with its melodic tunes. Additionally, captivating performances of Chiuchow opera add an artistic touch to this significant occasion.

In 2020, Hong Kong witnessed a momentous milestone as it celebrated the 70th anniversary of this cherished ancestral worship practice within the Kwok clan community.

Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City| Areas

Kowloon City District

Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City| Date

The twelfth lunar month

Ancestral Worship of the Kwok Clan in Kowloon City|Historical evolution

The Kwok Clan in Hong Kong traces its ancestry back to Kwok Tsz-yee(郭子儀), the Prince of Fenyang County during the Tang Dynasty. Some members of the clan migrated from Chiu Chow to Hong Kong in the early 20th century. Subsequently, a large number of Kwok Clan members moved to Hong Kong starting from the 1940s and established “Chung Tak Tong” as their ancestral hall, jointly organizing ancestor worship activities. As many Kwok Clan members worked at Sai Ying Pun Pier in Western District at that time and resided in the area, they began worshipping their ancestors there.

Due to regional development needs, the ancestral hall and ancestor worship activities of the Kwok Clan have been relocated from Western District to places such as Ho Man Tin, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon City, and San Po Kong. The year 2020 marks the seventieth anniversary of the Kwok Clan’s ancestor worship activities in Hong Kong.