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elders of the League of Seven worship her at a temporary altar set up outside the village, facing her altar through the open village gate.
The deity is thus not taken from her altar for these annual Birthday celebrations: the elders worship her from outside the village, through the open village gate and the open temple door. Once in every ten years, however, the League of Seven holds a Ta Tsiu ritual. On this occasion, the statue of the deity is repainted and dressed in new robes by the Nga Tsin Wai village matrons, behind closed doors, and the matrons then carry her statue out of the temple to a temporary altar in front of the village gate, where the entire League of Seven conducts the Ta Tsiu rituals. The Ta Tsiu is the most important ritual event of the League of Seven. Indeed, since all but Nga Tsin Wai of the League's member villages have been cleared for development - many of them sixty or seventy years ago - it is the Ta Tsiu which alone keeps the League of Seven in being today, and, indeed, it is only the Ta Tsiu which keeps any memory of their ancient village community alive for the displaced descendants of places like Ma Tau Wai and Ta Kwu Ling.
The Nga Tsin Wai villagers believe the League of Seven was established in 1726, when the Ta Tsiu was held for the first time (at least since the Coastal Evacuation), and this is very likely, although the alliance may well, at that date, have used another name. The 1726 celebration was held after the 1724 rehabilitation of the village was completed. The 1996 celebration was the 28th to be held. Before the other villages were cleared for development, the villages conducted an elaborate procession through all the villages of the League, carrying in procession not only their own Tin Hau, but other statues of Tin Hau as well, from other temples in the area, before the rituals conducted in front of the gateway at Nga Tsin Wai. A photograph of a religious procession, which is likely to be the League of Seven Ta Tsiu procession for 1906, has been published on several occasions.
Although they have no part in the League of Seven, Nga Tsin Wai always invites the Ngs, Chans, and Lis who have moved away from Nga Tsin Wai to return for these annual and decennial rituals, since these displaced descent lines are "still our brothers".
Inter-village alliances were, first and foremost, defence alliances against bandits. The League of Seven was probably established in 1726, when there was no yamen at Kowloon City, and at best only a very