The annual Va Kong Celebrations has a “very long history in Macau” and continues to be culturally relevant today, Lei Kin Hou, chairman of the Macau Wu Jun Fu Yueju Opera Role Association (澳門五軍虎粵劇行當協會) told The Macau Post Daily earlier this month at the Lin Kai Temple (蓮溪廟) in the San Kio district.
Va Kong (華光) is a Taoist divinity. Directly translated from its Chinese name, Lei’s group means “Macau Five Army Tigers Cantonese Opera Industry Association”.
Regarding its history, Lei noted several stories and points in history where Va Kong’s prominence was displayed, such as during a typhoon in 1874 when Va Kong was believed to have protected local residents and led them to safety. He added that 1876, the year of the largest Va Kong Celebration in Macau, started as an annual opera dedicated to Va Kong, who is worshipped as the tutelary or patron deity of fire and Cantonese opera. Lei said that many Cantonese opera actors came to Macau to visit the Lin Kai Temple for worship and performances in the past.
Lin Kai Temple is located adjacent to Teatro Alegria (Wing Lok Cinema).
Lei said that the celebration was revived in Macau in 2019 after he asked the Wu Jun Fu Association in Guangzhou if he could establish one in Macau and create a procession for Va Kong. Lei added that the association is mainly dedicated to the Va Kong celebration and are the only ones who can carry the deity during the procession. The celebration takes place at Lin Kai Temple, which is the main and largest temple for worshipping the deity on the 28th day of the 9th lunar month. A demonstration of the Wing Chun (詠春) kung fu style called the Red Boat Wooden Dummy 108 Forms, incense burning, and a short procession that walks from the temple to San Kio Garden, among others, are conducted during the celebration.
Lei did not elaborate on why the celebration was stopped for some time, or when.
When asked if the government’s protection for the celebration was sufficient, Lei said: “I hope they will do better”. Lei said he believed that more could be done for its protection. With several temples in Macau for worshipping Va Kong, he suggested that “people can understand more” if all of the temples would organise activities during the annual Va Kong Celebrations.
Lei also commented on why he believed the celebration is still relevant today, saying that Va Kong is actually “the centre with a lot of heritage”, adding that he believed that “[the celebrations] can be a heritage platform”, adding that those who in the past worked with fire such as in crafting China porcelain and Cantonese opera all worshipped Va Kong in ancient times. He also said that the generational difference in interest in Cantonese opera could be overcome if the Va Kong procession would be continuously carried out in the following years, in order to achieve unity by being seen as a celebration for the “young and old together”.
He concluded that if the annual procession continues, “more people can understand this culture and more people can benefit from it”.
This year’s Va Kong Celebrations took place on October 30. It was attended by dozens of believers.
Except for the photos only showing Lei, all the other photos were taken by the writer during the celebrations on October 30.
Lei Kin Hou, chairman of the Macau Wu Jun Fu Yueju Opera Role Association, poses at Lin Kai Temple in San Kio district during an interview with The Macau Post Daily on November 8.
Lei Kin Hou demonstrates the Red Boat Wooden Dummy 108 Forms in front of Lin Kai Temple after the interview. Photos: Rui Pastorin
