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villages, worship at the shrines is carried out on an individual or family basis usually involving the elderly ladies of the family.
Apart from occasional worship within the village, the earth gods and tree spirits are regularly given wider recognition. It is believed that over time a spiritual malaise builds up in an area, resulting from disputes, illness, deaths and general wrong-doing, that requires a major ceremony to cleanse and restore spiritual balance and harmony. The expense involved with holding such a ceremony means that only a group of villages will be able to afford a Da Chiu ceremony every ten years. The whole community is involved and overseas members will make a point of returning for the Da Chiu "because we want our children to know our old customs", and because having one's name registered on the Bon, or roll of village names, confirms one as a member of the village. It is a public statement of unity and of belonging to the community. For a fuller description of the Da Chiu see Ward and Law (1993).
The main temporary structure at the Da Chiu is the temple which holds every god worshipped or known in the district, including the earth gods, well gods and tree spirits. A small ceremony will be held at the fung shui tree at which the residing spirit is invited to enter a sweet potato into which a bamboo is tucked bearing the name of the god on a piece of red paper. The god is then brought to the temple and after the Da Chiu is returned to its tree or shrine with due ceremony.
The presence of shrines and large, old venerated trees adjacent to fung shui woods, are parallel features to those found in sacred forests in India and Nepal (Mansberger, 1991). They are features which help to classify the fung shui woods of the New Territories of Hong Kong as a form of sacred wood, or culturally protected forest, unique to South China, but with parallels throughout southern Asia.
REFERENCES
Burkhardt, V.R. (1958) Chinese Creeds and Customs South China Morning Post 3 69
Fickeler, P. (1962) Fundamental Questions in the Geography of Religions In Wagner, P. & Mikesell, M. (eds) Readings in Illinois, 94-117
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villages, worship at the shrines is carried out on an individual or family basis usually involving the elderly ladies of the family.
Apart from occasional worship within the village, the earth gods and tree spirits are regularly given wider recognition. It is believed that over time a spiritual malaise builds up in an area, resulting from disputes, illness, deaths and general wrong-doing, that requires a major ceremony to cleanse and restore spiritual balance and harmony. The expense involved with holding such a ceremony means that only a group of villages will be able to afford a Da Chiu ceremony every ten years. The whole community is involved and overseas members will make a point of returning for the Da Chiu "because we want our children to know our old customs", and because having one's name registered on the Bon, or role of village names, confirms one as a member of the village. It is a public statement of unity and of belonging to the community For a fuller description of the Da Chiu see Ward and Law (1993).
The main temporary structure at the Da Chiu is the temple which holds every god worshipped or known in the district, including the earth gods, well gods and tree spirits. A small ceremony will be held at the fung shui tree at which the residing spirit is invited to enter a sweet potato into which a bamboo is tuck bearing the name of the god on a piece of red paper. The god is then brought to the temple and after the Da Chiu is returned to its tree or shrine with due ceremony.
The presence of shrines and large, old venerated trees adjacent to fùng shut woods, are parallel features to those found in sacred forests in India and Nepal (Mansberger, 1991). They are features which help to classify the fung shut woods of the New Territories of Hong Kong as a form of sacred wood, or culturally protected forest, unique to South China, but with parallels throughout southern Asia.
REFERENCES
Burkehardt, VR (1958) Chinese Creeds and Customs South China Morning Post 3 69
Fickeler, P (1962) Fundamental Questions in the Geography of Religions In Wagner, P & Mikesell, M (eds) Readings in Illinois, 94-117
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