The Once-a-Decade Thanksgiving Celebration Carnival in Kam Tin Draws Large Crowds Praising the Charm of Folk Customs

As the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival just concluded successfully at the end of last year, the "Kam Tin Thanksgiving Celebration Carnival" followed from January 17th to 23rd, held at the Chou Wong Yi Kung Study Hall in the Shui Tau Village of Yuen Long. The celebration carnival features Cantonese Opera for Deities, lion dance competitions, and a large-scale food stall market, attracting a large number of citizens and tourists to participate and experience this once-a-decade cultural event.

The celebration carnival has attracted a large number of citizens and tourists to participate and experience this once-a-decade cultural event. Photo by Bastille Post

The Hong Kong-style food stall, Photo by Bastille Post

The Hong Kong-style food stall, Photo by Bastille Post

The Thai-style food stall, Photo by Bastille Post

Some stalls attracted customers with free snack samples. Photo by Bastille Post

Based on three core themes: "offer opera performances to deities to thank for their blessing", "food carnival," and "lion dance competition", the celebration event features the seven-day performance of the Hung Wan Cantonese Opera Troupe, which is specially invited by the Kam Tin Rural Committee, in the bamboo opera theatre converted from the bamboo altar that has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest temporary bamboo altar. Renowned Cantonese opera performers such as Leung Siu-ming, Loong Koon-tin, Hong Wah, and Wang Kit-ching, etc. would take turns presenting classic plays, including The Legend of the Purple Hairpin and Between Tears and Smiles, etc.

The Cantonese Opera for Deities on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

The Cantonese Opera for Deities on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

At the site of the event, numerous food stalls featured different regional specialties—from local snacks such as Siu Mai, fish balls, imitation shark fin soup, and Hong Kong-style milk tea, to freshly grilled barbecues like honey-glazed chicken wings and roasted squid. Distinctive kinds of delicacies have been offered with irresistible aroma, making people's mouths water.

The Siu Mai on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

The fish balls on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

The Hong Kong-style candies on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

The Hong Kong-style Tong Sui on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

The barbecue on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

The barbecue on the site, Photo by Bastille Post

On the opening day of the carnival event, top dragon and lion dance teams from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao competed on the same stage, showcasing each's high-level lion dance skills amidst the beating of gongs and drums. A featured experience area was also set up on site, allowing the public to personally experience the fun of lion dancing and drumming.

The featured experience area of lion dance, Photo by Bastille Post

The featured experience area of lion dance, Photo by Bastille Post

The local residents have enjoyed delicious local snacks and the bustling atmosphere of the grand carnival

Ms. Leung, participating in such a grand folk celebration for the first time, said she was deeply impressed by the grandeur of the giant bamboo theatre. "5 to 6,000 people can sit in this bamboo theatre at the same time, which is really great." Moreover, she said the food stall market was quite attractive, revealing a unique small-town charm. In her eyes, the carnival event not only has convenient transportation based on its easy access to the MTR, but also is filled with an atmosphere of joy everywhere, making people can't help but immerse themselves in it and enjoy the vigorous vitality of traditional folk customs.

Ms. Leung, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Sou brought his wife and young daughter to participate, saying that the whole family has enjoyed food and cultural fun on the site. The featured experience area of lion dance has allowed his daughter to "learn while playing", which helps to deepen her understanding of traditional culture and promote the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture to the young generation like her. "There are some lion dance props and drums for children to try and play, letting the traditional culture of China and Hong Kong be better promoted and passed on." Mr. Sou said.

Mr. Sou's family, Photo by Bastille Post

The food stall owner has launched local specialty drinks, attracting a considerable flow of customers and generating substantial business

Mr. Ho, a food stall owner, launched his "Ethereal Blue-and-White Porcelain Specialty Drinks", which has achieved booming business based on the elegant bottle packaging as well as the refreshing and unique flavor.

The Ethereal Blue-and-White Porcelain Specialty Drinks, Photo by Bastille Post

The Ethereal Blue-and-White Porcelain Specialty Drinks, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Ho stated that it's his first time participating in the once-a-decade Kam Tin Thanksgiving Celebration Carnival. Thanks to the festival's grand scale, it has attracted a large number of residents and tourists, bringing great popularity to his stall. "Business has been quite good during this period," he said. Moreover, he also mentioned that since the next celebration carnival would be held after 10 years, many citizens and tourists decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity this year to participate, which has made the site of the carnival consistently keep bustling with people.

Mr. Ho, Photo by Bastille Post

The foreign tourist has praised the charm of Hong Kong's traditional culture and been immersed in authentic folk customs

Eduardo, a tourist from Brazil, expressed his deep interest in the giant bamboo theatre and Cantonese opera performances of the carnival based on his background in dance, considering the event as a precious opportunity to experience the charm of Hong Kong's local theatrical culture. He was also impressed by the authentic flavors of Hong Kong's traditional snacks at the numerous food stalls. He hopes more foreign tourists could come to experience Hong Kong's folk customs in person as he does, which would be a valuable cultural immersion.

Eduardo, Photo by Bastille Post

At the site of the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, a group of "actors and actresses" dressed in splendid costumes are making gestures and moving nimbly to portray the joys and sorrows of the protagonists in the play. If you step closer, you will find the actors on the stage are not real people, but hand puppets instead. Behind the stage of this impressive performance is the only remaining hand puppet Cantonese opera troupe in Hong Kong - "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe".

The stage performance of "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe", Photo by Bastille Post

With the passage of time, puppet Cantonese opera has gradually been replaced by one acted by real people, putting this traditional art form at risk of disappearing. Nevertheless, Mr. Chan Kam To, the nearly 80-year-old troupe leader, and his elderly troupe fellows are still striving to preserve the glory of this traditional folk culture in modern times.

The poster of the troupe's performance at the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, Photo source: Kam Tin Rural Committee

Giving up the Stable Job of Public Servant to Pursue the Dream of Inheriting Puppet Opera Culture

Mr. Chan Kam To has performed puppet Cantonese opera for over 60 years. Recalling his decision to choose this art form as his life career at a young age, Mr. Chan said that he had never regretted this choice.

In the interview, Mr. Chan said that he had developed a strong interest in hand-held puppets and Cantonese opera under the influence of his father. With his love for traditional art forms, he actively learned various performance skills after becoming an apprentice of the puppet Cantonese opera performance. "You need to learn different kinds of performance skills from your mentor." Whether it's manipulating puppets, singing, playing musical instruments, or even writing scripts and composing, he is well-versed in all the above aspects.

Although he once had the chance of choosing to work as a public servant, who can earn a stable salary and a decent position, when entering the workforce, the words that a friend told him finally made him decide to follow his inner voice and choose puppet Cantonese opera as his life career. "Kam To, if you want to become a public servant, you still have the chance of making such a choice in the future. But there aren't many professionals engaged in puppet Cantonese opera performance in Hong Kong. Since you are an all-around artist in this field, you should really try to do more of what you like at a young age. Why not consider setting up your own puppet Cantonese opera troupe in Hong Kong?"

Under the suggestion of his friend, Mr. Chan gathered some enthusiasts who were also passionate about puppet Cantonese opera and established the "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe", kicking off the artistic pursuit of the troupe members.

Mr. Chan Kam To (fifth from the left, front row) and the troupe members, Photo by Bastille Post

Keeping Striving for Excellence, Aiming to Provide High-Quality Puppet Cantonese Opera to the Audience

As an important performance event at the worship ceremonies for Gods, puppet Cantonese opera has always played a role in thanking deities for their blessings and entertaining spirits. Although the Cantonese opera performed by real people have gradually replaced the puppet performance at the religious occasions of worship ceremonies, temple consecration, etc. with the development of Hong Kong society, there have still been some local villagers who believe in the exorcism power of puppets and keep the tradition of performing puppet Cantonese opera before the start of real people performance at the worship ceremonies. Nevertheless, such opportunities have been decreasing in modern times, making puppet Cantonese opera gradually become a sunset industry.

Though facing such a difficult situation, the "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera hasn't given up the passion of inheriting this traditional art form. The troupe members choose to keep striving for excellence day after day on this niche artistic path, seizing the few performance opportunities to present high-quality puppet Cantonese opera to the audience.

The puppeteers behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post

The vocalists behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post

The instrumental performers behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Chan mentioned that the troupe has participated in the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival four times, and this year marks his fifth time to take part in the performance of the festival. In order to meticulously prepare for this year's performance, everyone in the troupe has made tremendous efforts. At the performance site, although Mr. Chan had to stay in bed behind the stage due to his recent physical discomfort, he still kept a close eye on the troupe members and promptly offered specific suggestions for improvement on their performance effects.

As for the troupe members, they have also devoted themselves wholeheartedly during the festival performance. No matter it's the break of each performance, or the leisure time for lunch and dinner, they would seize every second to actively discuss how to better convey the plots and the protagonist's emotions of the play to the audience via manipulating puppets, singing and playing musical instruments, allowing them to feel the artistic charm of puppet Cantonese opera.

The troupe members would seize every second to actively discuss how to better convey the plots and the protagonist's emotions of the play, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The Difficult Road Ahead for the Sunset Industry: Hard to Earn a Stable Salary and Find Young Apprentices

Puppet Cantonese opera once occupied an important position in the worship ceremonies to the gods. However, with the development of society, the puppet opera has gradually become marginalized under the popularization of the Cantonese opera performance by real actors and actresses.

The puppets of the troupe, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Lau Mou Yee, the vocalist of the troupe, mentioned, "It's hard to make a living in our industry." With only few performances available each year, it has become extremely difficult for the troupe members to earn a stable salary. She said, "If you can't make a living, it would be very difficult to attract young people to enter this industry."

Nowadays, this group of young people, who once bravely pursued the dream of inheriting puppet Cantonese opera, have all become elderly. As for them, the youngest member has already turned over forty, while most of them are in their seventies or eighties. Facing the predicament of a lack of successors, Mr. Chan Kam To couldn't help but sigh, "The puppet Cantonese opera would disappear in the future." Indeed, this heavy prophecy not only reveals the difficulty of puppet Cantonese opera, but also expresses the feelings of all the artists of traditional art forms.

Most of the troupe members are in their seventies or eighties, Photo by Bastille Post

The Persistence of Inheriting Traditional Culture Even in the Twilight Years

Although facing the dilemma of future development, the troupe members have still persisted in pursuing their artistic passion. In addition to seizing each precious performance opportunity, they have also been more actively promoting the culture of puppet Cantonese opera to the schools in Hong Kong in recent years. For them, perhaps they will no longer be able to perform on the stage at the next Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, but as long as they can plant one more seed in the hearts of the young generation and let the youth discover the glamour of this traditional art form, there will be more hope for the continuation of this disappearing art in the future.

"Do our best to pass on this traditional art." At the site of the Kam Tin festival, the troupe members have not only performed the stories of traditional Cantonese opera, but also a life anthem about love and perseverance. Persisting in inheriting puppet Cantonese opera to awaken more people to appreciate the beauty of traditional folk culture, such a sincere wish would be the motivation for these elderly to stick to their artistic dream even in their twilight years and such an industry predicament.

The troupe members still persist in inheriting puppet Cantonese opera culture even in their twilight years, Photo by Bastille Post