The traditional Tam Kung Festival*, held on eighth day of the fourth lunar month**, was held in Coloane Village yesterday.
More than 30 performance groups paraded and performed around Coloane Village yesterday, coinciding with Buddha’s Birthday, a public holiday.
After the parade, over 3,000 roast pork “Blessing Buns” and vegetarian peanut sweets were distributed to public.
Blessing Buns are a type of traditional Chinese steamed bun, often enjoyed during festivals, celebrations, and special occasions like Chinese New Year and other traditional folk festivals. They are called “blessing buns” because their name and shape symbolise good luck, prosperity, and happiness.
Moreover, the “Fun Beer Carnival” commenced outside the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier at 2 p.m. yesterday, providing over 4,000 free bottles of beer, traditional Coloane titbits, beer drinking competitions and music performances.
In the evening, Macau’s reputably largest open-air “Poon Choi banquet” with 188 tables was held yesterday, highlighting local heritage cuisine and aiming to gather Coloane’s community spirit, according to the organisers. The Cantonese culinary term “Poon Choi” is also known as “Big Bowl Feast” in English.
The festival has been held for over 60 years and has become a traditional cultural celebration in Coloane, featuring more than 30 performance groups yesterday,as well as several toy windmill and about half a dozen cultural creative products’ stalls for charities were set up in the square. Speaking to the media at the start of the festival, Coloane Son I Charity Association President Yeong Keng Hoi said in a speech that he expected over 5,000 participants and attendees. “Son I” means “Obey Justice”.
Meanwhile, to celebrate the Buddha’s Birthday, which is also celebrated on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, the 2025 edition of the “Mobile Buddha Bathing Stand” took place outside the Na Tcha Temple next to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. on Saturday and Sunday, i.e., on the eve of yesterday’s Buddha’s Birthday, which was organised by Buddha’s Light Association Youth of Macau.
The event featured a Buddha Bathing*** Zone, where participants purified their minds and prayed while ritually washing a statuette of Buddha. Additionally, several charity stalls offered vegetarian food and handmade cultural products, alongside creative workshops such as plaster painting and DIY herbal sachet-making, encouraging participants to focus their minds through artistic expression.
*The Tam Kung Festival is a traditional Taoist celebration held primarily in coastal regions of southern China, particularly in Macau and Hong Kong, on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, honouring Tam Kung (譚公), a revered sea deity believed to protect fisherfolks, seafarers, and coastal communities from disasters and bring good fortune. – DeepSeek
**On the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, coinciding with Buddha’s Birthday, the Festival of the Drunken Dragon and Tam Kung Festival takes place in Macau. – DeepSeek
***The Bathing the Buddha (浴佛) ritual is a sacred Buddhist ceremony performed to honour the birth of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), traditionally celebrated on Buddha’s Birthday. – DeepSeek
Participants queue to get free bottles of beer outside the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier in Coloane yesterday.
Tam Kung Festival performers parade and perform around Coloane Village yesterday. – Photos: Ida Cheong
