The long-standing Hong Kong tradition : folk religious ritual in Man Mo Temples

Abstract

In China, folk religion is derived and mixed from the main religions including Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. The deities and gods worshipped in folk religion originated from these religious doctrines, where these folk religious temples worshipping all kinds of deities are scattered around China, and Hong Kong is no exception, including the Man Mo Temples. There are three Man Mo Temples in Hong Kong, of which two of them are declared as monuments – Sheung Wan and Tai Po Man Mo Temples. This paper will discuss the longstanding culture of folk religion in Hong Kong and its ritual processes, particularly seen in Hong Kong’s Man Mo Temples. This thesis aims to investigate the folk religion in Hong Kong, especially the essential instruments and the layout settings involved in these rituals performed inside the temples. The documentation and publications on Man Mo Temples can hardly be found and in some ways are neglected from the young generation, it should made be aware that these places of cultural heritage in Hong Kong are diminishing. Through research, surveys and interviews, the physical components of the layout and instruments in the ritual processes of the folk religion in Hong Kong temples are discovered. It is hoped that this study can contribute to a comprehensive documentation on the ritual processes in Man Mo Temple and extend the culture of folk religion in Hong Kong.