The Na Tcha Temple Association hosted a press conference in front of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Na Tcha Temple on Saturday to announced that it will start weeklong birthday celebrations for the popular deity this Friday.
Na Tcha, known in Putonghua as Nezha (哪吒), aka Nezha the Crown Prince (哪吒太子), is a protection deity in Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk belief.
Besides, Na Tcha, a prominent figure in Chinese mythology, is a divine hero whose origins are rooted in ancient Chinese folklore and religious traditions. According to the mythological narrative, Na Tcha was born during the Shang Dynasty (商朝, around 1600–1046 BCE), and his famed story is closely tied to the Investiture of the Gods (封神演义), a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel set in that era.
According to Ip Tat, president of the association, this year’s highlight events for Na Tcha’s birthday celebrations will begin with a temple fair cultural market this Friday, a blessing ceremony on June 30, and a float parade in the city centre on July 1, among other activities. A Na Tcha statue will tour various parts of the Macau peninsula and Taipa on July 1-2, when the weeklong celebrations will end. Lion dance performances will be part of the tour.
According to a statement released during the press conference, the annual grand float parade will take place next Wednesday, July 1. Apart from local troupes, their visiting counterparts from China’s Taiwan region, as well as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, will take part in the parade. In total, about 30 to 40 teams will join the parade, a stronger line-up than in previous years, the statement said.
A communal “poon choi” banquet (“poon choi” – “basin dish” – is a traditional Cantonese festival meal), according to the statement, will be held next Wednesday and Thursday evening, with around 30 tables each night. At 10:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Na Tcha’s formal birthday celebration will be held, and next Thursday, the official birthday of Na Tcha, the parade will tour various districts of Macau and Taipa, offering blessings along the way.
Kuok Pak Yu, head of the association’s Youth Division, said in her speech at Saturday’s press conference that the temple fair market is being held in collaboration with the Chinese Cultural Industries Promotion Association (CCIPA), by using 2D (anime-style) culture and virtual streamers (VTubers) to carry out cross-sector digital promotions, with the aim of attracting younger audiences. Kuok also said that the event will also include a photography competition, organised in conjunction with the Macao Digital Photography Association (MPDA), with a top prize of 2,000 patacas.
Na Tcha Temple Association President (front row, fifth from left), Kuok Pak Yu, head of the association’s Youth Division (front row, fifth from right), and other representatives pose during Saturday’s press conference about the group’s upcoming Na Tcha birthday celebrations, in front of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Na Tcha Temple near the Ruins of St Paul’s. – Photo: Armindo Neves
