The Wanshan Archipelago Folk Culture Festival opened on April 18 with a whirlwind of music, lion dances, and rituals.

Pak Tai's Birthday -- the third day of the third lunar month -- was the cause of this celebration on Wailingding Island. Thousands of fishermen, visitors, and guests arrived from the archipelago, Hong Kong, and Macao for the ever-increasingly popular event, owing to the unique charm of traditional benediction culture.

Celebrants

The blessing got off to a jubilant start on the 4.23 sq-km (1.7-sq-mile) island in the middle of the Pearl River Estuary. The first boat docked at 10:30 am. As trumpets blew and drums beat, guests added final touches to the lion's eye, a gesture to bring it to life. The lion dance culminated with highly difficult movements that saw a lion attempting to grab the lettuce (shēng cài, a homophone for making a fortune) and red envelopes (hong bao) held high.

Afterwards, Pak Tai's Birthday Council members in green carried sacrifices such as roasted pigs to Pak Tai Temple on Lingding Hill. There they greeted the god, recited a prayer, and burnt incense sticks. The fishermen hung sweetly scented sachets on the wall next to Pak Tai, in hopes for a better life. The rites were completed when the temple bell struck 12.

Lion dance.

Island merchants offered red envelopes to the lion dance troupe as it passed in front of their shops in the afternoon, believing that the performance would bring them wealth. That evening, a 100-table grand feast treated fishermen from different islands, and a traditional charity auction sent the proceedings late into the night.

Pak Tai is also known as the Supreme Emperor of the North or Emperor Xuan Wu. Legend goes that Pak Tai is a water deity who takes charge of the north. He is also revered as the governor of various bodies of water, because the north is associated with water in yin-yang and five-element theories. For thousands of years, fisher folk worshiped Pak Tai, as they believe he can drive away disasters, protect against misfortune, and provide safe passage over the sea.

In recent years, the Wanshan Archipelago Folk Culture Festival has made a name for itself by promoting springtime birthday celebrations for Pak Tai, Matsu, and Tin Hau.

Pak Tai's Birthday Council carries sacrifices [Photos by Cheng Lin / Zhuhai Daily]