The Origin of the Fire Dragon Dance

Located in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, Tai Hang was once a Hakka village, which is said to have been hit by a plague in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1880). To drive out the plague, villagers made a fire dragon. On the evening of the 14th, 15th and 16th of the eighth lunar month, the villagers paraded the fire dragon through the village while letting off firecrackers, and the plague was stopped. From then on, the villagers have performed a three-day fire dragon dance every year to bless themselves.

Tai Hang today has been incorporated into the bustling commercial district that the north coast of Hong Kong Island has developed into over the last few decades. The Mid-Autumn Festival fire dragon dance has nonetheless endured. Despite changes in the community and its population, this local custom has been preserved with its rich heritage, and a fire dragon dance has lit up Tai Hang on three nights before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival every year for over 130 years. It is well known as a traditional event in Hong Kong.