Lantern Lighting Rituale 點燈

Lantern Lighting Ritual| Introduction
Lantern Lighting Ritual| Areas
Lantern Lighting Ritual| Date
Lantern Lighting Ritual| Historical evolution
Lantern Lighting Ritual| Events

Lantern Lighting Ritual| Introduction

In the lunar month of January, villages in the New Territories hold lantern lighting ceremonies according to customs. “Lantern” sounds like “ding,” and “lighting lanterns” symbolizes “adding a member to the family.” Villagers who have had a new male member born within the past year will light lanterns in ancestral halls, temples, or lantern pavilions to inform the gods and ancestors that a male descendant has been born in their household. Lighting lanterns represents succeeding incense lamps and also signifies that the male descendant is officially recognized as a member of the clan, with his name being recorded in the genealogy book, thereby granting him rights to participate in clan affairs and inherit ancestral properties.

Lantern Lighting Ritual| Areas

14 areas in New Territories:

1. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Pan Chung, Tai Po
2. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Yuen Kong Tsuen, Pat Heung
3. Lantern Lighting Ritual (“Da Tim Ding”) of Wong Yi Au Village, Tai Po
4. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Tseng Lan Shue, Sai Kung
5. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Tuen Mun To Lineage
6. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Tai Wai Tsuen, Sha Tin
7. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Shan Ha Tsuen, Ping Shan
8. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Tin SamVillage, Sha Tin
9. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Lam Hau Tsuen, Ping Shan
10. Lantern Lighting Ritual in Siu Lek Yuen Village, Sha Tin
11. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Kak Tin Village, Sha Tin
12. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Ha Tsuen Tang Lineage
13. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Lung Yeuk Tau Tang Lineage
14. Lantern Lighting Ritual of Kam Tin Tang Lineage

Lantern Lighting Ritual| Date

The first lunar month

Lantern Lighting Ritual| Historical evolution

Lighting the lamp is a traditional ceremony in the rural areas of the New Territories, formally writing the name of a newly added male descendant into the family genealogy, confirming their identity and rights within the clan. The villages in the New Territories have a long history, for example, the Tang family from Kam Tin has been living in the New Territories for over nine hundred years, and the Pang family from Fanling for over eight hundred years. This tradition of lighting lamps has been passed down through generations. Nowadays, some clans may not hold this ceremony every year due to a decrease in the number of male descendants born that year. However, each village still strives to maintain this traditional custom.

Lantern Lighting Ritual| Events

The lighting ceremony varies slightly in different villages and towns, mainly including “lighting”, “celebrating the lights” and “completion of the lights”. On the day of “lighting”, the families with newborns light the lamp wick in the ancestral hall and place it inside the lamp, then hang the Ding lantern on a beam in the ancestral hall. This is followed by the “celebrating lights” activity, where families with newborns invite relatives to drink “Ding wine” (lamp wine), while village leaders host a banquet featuring various dishes. Hakka people also serve a symbolic “Nine Big Bowls” feast representing longevity. They also offer family members to eat “Ding porridge” (lamp porridge). Finally, during the “completion of lights”, families with newborns take down their Ding lanterns, remove the lamp wicks and bring them home in wooden containers. They may also dismantle or cut off auspicious decorations from their Ding lanterns to bring home for good luck. In some rural areas, families with newborns will cremate their Ding lanterns afterwards as a symbol of concluding the lighting ceremony.