100
CHAN WING HOI
NOTES
Besides "three-day jius", there are more elaborate “five day jiu” celebrations in the New Territories.
The annual ritual takes place typically in Chiu Chau, Wai Chau and Hoklo settlements to make offerings to uncared-for dead spirits.
1 The oldest dated object in the Tin Hau Temple, which housed the main god of the festival, was about one hundred years old. I shall refer to this again later.
6
There could have been more than one "chairman".
Probably part of the golf club, or otherwise a similar establishment.
Tanaka Issei 田仲一成, Chugoku saishi engeki kenkyū 中国祭祀演劇研究 (Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo 1981) p. 891.
7 The Fuk-Wai-Chiu immigrants had their own gods and their operas in the Tin Hau festival. According to Tanaka, eleven or twelve gods other than Tin Hau were sacrificed to (op. cit., pp. 891-3). One of them, the Daai Wong Paak Gung of Naam Bin Chyn, is attributed by Tanaka to the Hoklo residents. Tanaka also points out that the Fuk-Wai-Chiu members of the organizing committee were alone responsible for a special part of the festival, that is, the performance of Wai Chau and Chiu Chau operas.
8 Piu-sik are usually carried on frames at a height far above that of the audience in a parade. Because of the rain during the procession this time they stood in a lorry instead.
About half of the gods sacrificed to in the Tin Hau Festival, including the Fuk-Wai-Chiu deity mentioned above, were not found among the spirit tablets in the jiu festival.
10 "Picking green". In this case the two lions competed in capturing a bank note hanging near the entrance to the house.
Glossary
Choi Paak Lai 蔡伯勵
choi-cheng 採靑
Dai Wong (Ye) 大王(爺)
ba-wong-dei 霸王地
Chiu Chau 潮洲
baai-chaam 拜懺
Baak Mou Seung 白無常
Baak-gung 伯公
Bak Dai 北帝
Bao'an 寶安
bui 杯
bin-ngaak 匾額
Chai Wan 柴灣
Chan Wa 陳華
Cheung Chau 長洲
Daai Si (Wong) 大士(王)
daai-gat 大吉
diu-lau 碉樓
Dongguan 東莞
fa-laam 花籃
fa-paai 花牌
Faaigou jeungdaai ...