Bastille's In-depth Report: The Charm of Traditional Culture Shining at the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival

2025-12-20 14:56 Last Updated At：12-21 11:15

The Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, with a history of 340 years and regarded as an important folk festival in Hong Kong, has been grandly held in Kam Tin, Yuen Long, for seven days starting from December 13th. This ten-yearly festival, passed down since 1685, has come to its 34th celebration in 2025. As for the festival this year, not only have the traditional religious activities of praying for blessings from the gods been reserved, but also a magnificent bamboo festival stage was set up and won the recognition of Guinness World Records, showcasing the unique vitality of Hong Kong culture to the public.

The Largest Temporary Bamboo Altar Globally Showcases the Pinnacle of Traditional Scaffolding Craftsmanship

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The Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival has been grandly held in Yuen Long, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The beauty of the bamboo festival stage at night, Photo by Bastille Post

Traditional folk activities have led the visitors to explore the beauty of local culture. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The students from Shek Kip Mei Nursery School are doing sketching at the site of the festival. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Dung Yuk Ha, the principal of Shek Kip Mei Nursery School, are communicating with the students at the site. Photo by Bastille Post

Miss. Choi, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. May Dung, Photo by Bastille Post

The Brazilian visitor, Ricardo, Photo by Bastille Post

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The Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival has been grandly held in Yuen Long, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The beauty of the bamboo festival stage at night, Photo by Bastille Post

Traditional folk activities have led the visitors to explore the beauty of local culture. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The students from Shek Kip Mei Nursery School are doing sketching at the site of the festival. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Dung Yuk Ha, the principal of Shek Kip Mei Nursery School, are communicating with the students at the site. Photo by Bastille Post

Miss. Choi, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. May Dung, Photo by Bastille Post

The Brazilian visitor, Ricardo, Photo by Bastille Post

The highlight of the festival this year lies in a huge bamboo festival stage covering an area of 40,000 square feet and over 30 meters in height (approximately five stories high). The festival stage was constructed by 17 experienced scaffolding erectors in two months. With an intricate and grand structure, the stage has recently been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest temporary bamboo altar globally. Such an honour has not only brought the exquisite craftsmanship of Hong Kong's traditional scaffolding to the world, but also attracted a large number of citizens and tourists to come to the site of the festival and witness this traditional architectural wonder standing in the modern city.

In addition to the magnificent construction, the Thanksgiving Festival has also been transformed into a "comprehensive folk museum". During the festival period, authentic deity worship ceremonies, hand puppet Cantonese opera performances, dragon and lion dances, the display of paper crafting and flower board crafting, and other traditional folk activities have led the visitors to step into a time tunnel to explore the beauty of local folk culture.

The Emphasis on the Protection of Traditional Culture across Generations

The festival is not only a stage for the launching of religious ceremonies, but also for the implementation of cultural education. Ms. Dung Yuk Ha, the principal of Shek Kip Mei Nursery School, has organized the students to do sketching at the site of the festival. She hoped that the kids could use the pencils and crayons in their hands to record the shining moments of folk culture. Ms. Dung said, "Although the children might be too young to clearly memorize the specific details of the folk culture they've witnessed at the site of the festival today, the strong feelings of our traditional culture rising from their hearts would become the spark of their cultural confidence if they encounter similar events and objects in the future. In my eyes, such a precious opportunity of doing sketching at this ten-yearly festival can produce great educational value." As for her, the Kam Tin Festival could help to deepen the children's understanding of traditional culture, assisting them in enhancing their recognition of local history and culture in the future.

The festival has also drawn the attention of the young generation to the issue of traditional culture protection. After learning that the bamboo scaffolding would be replaced by metal frames in Hong Kong, the middle school student, Miss. Choi especially came to the site of the festival with her parents to appreciate the charm of this traditional craft. In her eyes, she hoped that the government and society could invest more resources in the protection of traditional culture, and provide more related exhibitions and workshops to the public to promote the continuation of the precious traditional crafts.

Ms. May Dung, the Consultant of Traditional Culture of Ha Tsuen Rural Committee, also emphasized the importance of public recognition and participation for promoting the protection of traditional culture. She hoped that the young generation could "have a better understanding of Hong Kong's traditional culture" via this grand festival. "The more they can learn about the traditional culture, the deeper understanding they will have for our history and cultural beauty."

Foreign Visitors Greatly Praised the Outstanding Soft Power of Hong Kong

The Kam Tin Festival has also attracted the attention of foreigners in Hong Kong. The Brazilian visitor, Ricardo, was deeply interested in the display of paper crafting and flower board crafting on the site and expressed his appreciation for Hong Kong's efforts to preserve local traditional culture. From his perspective, such activities of presenting folk culture could stimulate foreigners' interest in exploring the history and culture in Hong Kong. Moreover, he also encouraged the young generation in Hong Kong to communicate more with the inheritors of traditional crafts to ensure the local cultural heritage can be passed down from generation to generation.

Drums, Dragons, and Devotion: A Sensory Feast Unfolds at Yuen Long’s Tin Hau Festival Parade

On Saturday (May 9), which marked the 23rd day of the third lunar month and the birthday of Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea, a grand Tin Hau Festival Parade took place in Yuen Long. Setting off from downtown Yuen Long amid thunderous gongs and drums and exuberant dragon and lion dances, the grand parade made its way to the Tin Hau Temple, drawing large crowds of residents and tourists along the route.

Held annually on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, the parade has a history of more than 60 years and is one of the largest Tin Hau birthday celebrations in Hong Kong. In 2021, it was officially inscribed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage representative projects, offering a vibrant glimpse into Hong Kong’s folk traditions.

The parade set off from downtown Yuen Long, winding its way through Kau Yuk Road, Long Ngai Path, and Ma Tin Road before arriving at the Tin Hau Temple as the destination. Along the route, flower plaques showcased a riot of colors, while dragon and lion dancers performed with majestic energy, accompanied by the thunderous rhythm of gongs and drums. Cheers and applause followed the parade along the way, drawing large crowds of locals and tourists.

Mr. Leung, a Yuen Long resident, said he attends the Tin Hau Festival Parade every year, but always represents a different village. This year, he joined on behalf of his wife’s village in Sha Po. Compared to previous years, he noted that the overall atmosphere felt more lively, with more dragon dance teams and more eye-catching color schemes. "This custom is a must-have here in the New Territories," he said. In his view, through this lively parade, local residents can deepen their connection to Hong Kong's traditions and see traditional culture vividly brought to life.

Mr. Lo and Ms. Kong, villagers from Shung Ching Village, said they were delighted to be part of the parade’s leading team. As for them, Ms. Kong was taking part for the second time, while Mr. Lu was experiencing the parade for the first time. They described the weather as "quite comfortable", adding that the pleasant temperature made the parade smoother and more enjoyable, which was a fitting sign of good fortune to celebrate the Tin Hau’s birthday. They also emphasized that the Tin Hau Festival Parade is an important part of Hong Kong’s folk culture and hoped it could be continued and further promoted in the future, so that more Hong Kong residents would have the chance to experience firsthand the warmth and heritage of the New Territories.

Lukas, a tourist from Germany, said participating in the Tin Hau Festival Parade was a rare cultural experience during his first visit to Hong Kong. Although he knew little about the customs surrounding the goddess’s birthday, he was amazed and deeply impressed by the sight of sparkling golden dragons and the thunderous sound of gongs and drums. In his opinion, witnessing such a lively festival scene gave him a deeper appreciation of the vibrant folk traditions of Chinese culture.

In addition, a ceremonial stage was set up along Long Ngai Path, where Miss Alice Mak, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, along with other distinguished guests, watched the parade teams pass by and joined in celebrating the festive atmosphere of Tin Hau’s birthday with residents and tourists.

Bastille's In-depth Report: The Charm of Traditional Culture Shining at the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival