Birthday of Kwan Tai

The 24th Day of the 6th Month of the Lunar Calendar

As a deity worshipped in Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism and Taoism, Kwan Tai was honoured as the “Almighty”, since he was the epitome of loyalty, integrity, righteousness and courage, driving out evil spirits and blessing the businessmen to make fortunes, a shrine for Kwan was even worshipped in every police station. Such a respected god worshipped in Hong Kong actually did not have many temples built specially for him, perhaps because most of small shrines of Kwan Tei were located at home and restaurants for worship. There were not much celebrations for Kwan Tai’s Birthday and the most exciting one was held in Shau Kei Wan.

Saintly Emperor Kwan

Kwan Yu (Yun Chang), who was famous for his integrity and courage during the period of Three Kingdoms, was born in Xie County, Hedong (present day Yuncheng, Shanxi). He took the oath of a fraternity in the peach garden, which bound him with Lau Bei and Cheung Fei as sworn brothers, and resolved to re-establish the state of Shu Han. People of later ages built temples to commemorate and esteem him as a hero who was morally sound and straight. He was granted the title of “Saintly Emperor Kwan” by the Wanli Emperor in Ming Dynasty, and the public called him “Kwan Tai”. He was originally a military general and canonized as “Emperor Xie Tian”, therefore some of the Kwan Tai Temple were called “Mo Tai Temple” (Temple for the General) or “Xie Tian Temple”. Outside the gates of the Kwan Tai Temples in Shau Kei Wan and Sham Shui Po, one could see Emperor Kwan holding “Green Dragon Crescent Blade” and riding “Blood-Sweating Stallion”, which werethe two representative symbols of Emperor Kwan in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Sworn Brothers

The Kwan Tai Temple in Shau Kei Wan is located on the hillside of Ngoi Man Street, where six temples are located there for worshipping other deities including Fok Tak, Hung Shing, Kwun Yam, Lau Bei and Cheung Fei. It is the only place where the three sworn brothers – Lau, Kwan, Cheung - can be worshipped at the same time. Among the birthdays of the six deities, only on Kwan Tai’s Birthday (24th of the 6th Lunar Month) and Cheung Fei’s Birthday (19th of the 12th Lunar Month) that the parades would be initiated.

Celebration Activities

At 10:30am on the Kwan Tai’s Birthday, residents of Shau Kei Wan assembled at the fish market in front of Tam Kung Temple. Accompanied by two dancing lions, they pushed the shrine with Kwan Tai statue and paraded through the Eastern Street in Shau Kei Wan. Blessing was given to the shops they knew well (donation was given usually). They then paraded through the streets including Kam Wah Street, Mong Lung Street, Factory Street, Nam On Street, Nam On Lane and Shau Kei Wan Road, they finally arrived Ngoi Man Street, where they moved the statue from the portable shrine, and carried it up the hill along with sacrifices like roast pig.

It was rather expensive to hold such a big event, and it was physically and materially consuming. In order to raise money for the event, they usually had a banquet in a restaurant and held an auction for the holy relics, such as gold vessels and ornaments that were used to worship the Gods. During the banquet they would have lucky draw, the winner would be awarded with the statue of Kwan Tai sent to Kwan Tai Temple in the morning. The winner could take this unique statue back home for worshipping until the next birthday of Kwan Tai.

Other celebrations of Kwan Tai’s Birthday

There were mainly two days for celebrating Kwan Tai’s Birthday, the other day is on 13th day of the 5th Lunar month. Legend goes that it is the birthday of Kwan Yu’s adopted son, Kwan Pin (he is Kwan Yu’s adopted son in novel), who followed Kwan Yu and was captured and executed in Linju. After that the son and General Chou Chang (a character in novel), who served under Emperor Kwan, were worshipped together with Kwan Tai accompanying him. In Ting Kok Village, Tai Po, people celebratde Kwan Tai’s Birthday on the 13th day of the 1st Lunar month (the day Kwan Tai’s soul ascend to heaven), which was the only place in Hong Kong where Kwan Tai’s Birthday was celebrated on this day.

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