Features of the Folk Religion

The fundamentals of the Wong Tai Sin belief and customs can be understood in the four areas of faith, custom, liturgy and charity.

In terms of faith, it is a folk religion that permeates the lives of the Hong Kong people. Many citizens worship Wong Tai Sin at home for the general well-being of their families. The “granting of every wish” is also a universally acknowledged characteristic of the deity. In practice, the faith honours not only Taoism but also Confucianism and Buddhism, thus embracing diversity and promoting inclusion in an immigrant society.

In terms of custom, Wong Tai Sin Temple offers divination services in the form of fortune sticks; and in the past, it used to provide prescriptions for illnesses. Some believers have their young children “adopted” by Wong Tai Sin so they will grow up healthy. During the period between Chinese New Year Eve and the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar New Year when it is time to offer the first incense, as well as Wong Tai Sin’s birthday on the 23rd day of the eighth lunar month, many citizens are drawn to the temple to invoke and worship him. In recent years, apart from organizing festivities such as temple fairs, lantern fairs and parades of the immortals, Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple has also become the only authorised Taoist wedding venue in Hong Kong.

In terms of liturgy and ritual, extant scriptures include the Precious Repentance of Master Tsik Chung Wong Tai Sin and Puqing Youke Secluded Ceremonies, and the Qi Tian Da Sheng Bao Chan and Wei Xian Shi Bao Chan, both edited and published in Hong Kong in 1943. To adhere to the principle of also honouring Buddhism and Confucianism, birthday rituals are held for the deities of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and disciples also perform regular repentance rituals.

In the area of charity work, Sik Sik Yuen was registered as a charitable organization in 1965. Today it has grown into a multi-purpose and comprehensive religious charitable organisation that benefits the public with its provision of services pertaining to medical care, education, care for the aged and aid for people in need.