Hi Steemit Friends,
Hope you are doing well today 🏮 Happy Mid Autumn Festival! Have you ever wonder how Chinese celebrate this festival? Appreciating the Moon, playing colourful lanterns, or eating mooncake? YES, but today I would like to share a unique centuries-old tradition in Hong Kong with you, Fire Dragon Dance.
Steemit的朋友大家好，中秋節快樂! 🏮 昨天剛好看到茶館說我們當地是怎麼慶祝中秋節，想起了除了家𥚃祭月，到各區的綵燈會賞花燈，香港還有一個很獨特的傳統習俗—舞火龍。
Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang 大坑舞火龍
Inscribed to China's national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011, the origin of Fire Dragon Dance can be traced to over hundred years ago in Tai Hung. Ravaged by a typhoon on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a python ate the villagers' livestocks. This was followed by a plague which kills many villagers after they killed the python. The fortune tellers decreed the only way to stop the plague, a fire dance had to be staged for three days and three nights during the upcoming Full Moon. The villages built a huge dragon from straw and covered with joss sticks. The Fire Dragon then paraded through the streets of Tai Hang accompany with drummers and erupting firecrackers for three days and three nights, and the plague disappeared . Since then, this tradition has been carried every year in Tai Hang during Mid-Autumn festival for praying for good fortune and health.
舞火龍源於19世紀中秋前夕的晚上，一場颱風吹襲後出現了一條大蟒蛇，呑食了不少村裡的家畜，令村民損失慘重，村民便合力把蟒蛇打死。翌日，大蟒蛇的屍體不知所終，過後，村里發生了一場瘟疫，不少村民病亡，其他村民都十分徬徨。當時其中一名村民表示獲菩蕯報夢，只要中秋佳節時在村裏一邊舞火龍一邊燒炮竹，便可驅散瘟疫。由於炮竹裏有琉璜白藥，可上火藥可驅散瘟疫，村民知道這個方法後大喜，自始每年的中秋節都舞火龍繞行整條村，祈求平安順利。
The Fire Dragon Dance is located 10 minutes walk from Tin Hau Station, Exit A1.
從天后地鐵站A1出口步行約10分鐘，我們便可以到舞火龍最佳觀賞地點：浣沙街。
Out of the Tin Hau station, opposite the street has a giant brand "Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hung".
走出地鐵站，對面的街頭已經有一塊巨型的牌子寫著：「大坑舞火龍」
Large, colourful flower plaques was used for advertising for this event
轉入火龍徑前，也有一些充滿中國特色的大型花牌。
Before the parade started, there are a few girls dressed in traditional Chinese costume, carrying lotus lanterns. They look really cute in these costumes.
開始前，有些身穿紅色中國傳統服飾的小女孩，提著蓮花燈，讓馬路兩旁的市民和遊客拍照，她們都很可愛呢。
And, there are several street store selling lanterns on Wun Sha Street.
沿路還有幾間賣燈籠的小店，掛滿形形色色的燈籠。
What's more, the organisers explained the origin of Fire Dragon Dance in three languages, Cantonese, Mandarin and English before the parade start. So, tourists join this parade would have more understandings about this tradition.
舞火龍大概8:15分開始，晚上10:30左右結束，開始前主辦單位分別用廣東話，普通話及英語講解舞火龍這個傳統的由來。
The large fire dragon dancing dancing at the entrance of village, bristling with burning incense sticks, will parade around the streets in Tai Hang accompanied by drums and gongs. About 300 performers held the 100-kg-weight and 67-meter long dragon, which made up of 32 segments and had ten of thousands incense sticks on its body and head. It's pretty impressive to see the slightly moving dragon and flying sparks from incense while the fire dragon passing by me.
首先看到的時打鑼鼓的隊伍，然後就看到火龍跟著舞動的龍珠，場面非常熱鬧。火龍隊伍在這兩個內小時會不停穿梭於大坑的大街小巷，當隊伍重新返回浣紗街時，工作人員會拔香，並重新插香。火龍長達67米，插上逾7萬枝香，重100公斤，單是龍頭已重達48公斤，動員近300人，看到插滿香的龍頭龍身感覺非常震撼，只是香港晚上的天氣還是很悶熱，看完過後我已經全身濕透。
I would definitely recommend this event for those who are interested in understand more about Chinese culture. The weather is still pretty hot in Hong Kong. So be prepared to get wet if you planned to join this event :P
今年的大坑的舞火龍活動會舉辦至10月6日（週五）。除了大坑，薄扶林村是另一個舉辦舞火龍盛事的地方，大家不妨考慮一下到場感受節日氣氛 :P
大坑舞火龍/Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang
Date 日期：2017年10月3至6日
Time 時間：8:15pm至10:30pm（10/3-10/5） 8:15pm 至10:00pm （10/6）
Address ：Tai Hang, Causeway Bay (Best vantage point: Wun Sha Street)
地點: 銅鑼灣大坑（最佳觀賞地點：浣紗街）