The two-day “Prince Na Tcha Parade,” which kicked off yesterday, is part of a series of events celebrating the “Birthday of Prince Na Tcha and the upcoming 26th Anniversary of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), according to the event organiser.
Over 50 performance groups and temple delegations from the Chinese mainland, China’s Taiwan region, Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas are participating in the parade.
The parade has been organised by the Na Tcha Temple Association. Yesterday afternoon’s route started from Na Tcha Temple near the Ruins of St. Paul’s, travelled along Rua de Cinco de Outubro (十月初五日街) and various other streets and squares in the city centre, including Largo do Senado, before it returned to the temple, which is part of Macau’s UNESCO-listed World Heritage.
This morning, the parade will start from two different places at 9 a.m. – at Na Tcha Temple in the morning and Rua Direita Carlos Eugénio (施督憲正街) in Taipa. Both parades will travel along many streets both on the peninsula and Taipa.
Na Tcha Temple Association President Ip Tat told reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s parade that some overseas groups, inspired by the hugely successful Ne Zha 1 and Ne Zha 2 films have organised special trips to Macau to participate in the parades.
Ne Zha* is the Pinyin spelling of the deity’s name in Putonghua.
Ip added that the event aims to better promote the traditional “Na Tcha belief”, invigorate the community, boost the local economy, and release more positive energy.
During yesterday’s parade, a firecracker ceremony was held, which attracted scores of spectators, and some of them who were able to grab some of the firecrackers expressed their keen interest in this Chinese traditional festival, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of Na Tcha culture, which is hugely popular in Macau and elsewhere in the country, particularly after the screening of “Ne Zha 2” in cinemas.
The two-day parade also includes a Cantonese opera performance outside the temple in the evening.
*Na Tcha, whose formal Taoist name is the “Marshal of the Central Altar” and was given the title “Third Lotus Prince” when he became a deity, is also a character from the 16th century Chinese classic novel “Fengshen Yanyi” (“The Investiture of the Gods”).
According to the official website of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the beliefs and customs associated with Na Tcha are one of Macau’s most distinctive traditions, being on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Items.
The Feast of Na Tcha, observed on the 18th day of the Chinese lunar calendar’s fifth month (this year on June 13 - today) features rituals and folk practices dedicated to Na Tcha. A focal point of activities for the Feast of Na Tcha is Na Tcha Temple near the Ruins of St. Paul’s: associated events include parades on the Macau peninsula and in Taipa. Another celebration of the festival period is the Prince Na Tcha Parade, featuring a “dragon guard” and “celestial beauties”.
Macau boasts two temples dedicates to Na Tcha – the one close to the Ruins of St Paul’s and the other on Calçada das Verdades behind Ginza Plaza.
The Macau Post Daily published on March 3 an editorial about Na Tcha and the commercial and cultural success of “Ne Zha 2”, headlined Ne Zha – China’s soft power answer to Mickey Mouse.
https://www.macaupostdaily.com/news/24225
– Photos by Armindo Neves
Yesterday’s “Prince Na Tcha Parade” activities and related events are attended by scores of people in the city centre. – Photos courtesy of TDM
