A Map of Deities in Sha Tau Kok (Part I)
It is easy to encounter temples of different sizes in Hong Kong. This ranges from large-scale Tin Hau temples that occupy the space of a few shops on ground floors to shrines in shops. If you look closely, you see deities everywhere in the city. Part 1 – Religions Believers are free to worship different […]
Clothing | Ethnobotanical Study of Plants in Villages
RamieBoehmeria nivea The ubiquitous plant grows everywhere but it is also very functional. The leaves can be used as pig feed or made into hakka rice cakes named ‘coarse-leaf tart’. Its stems can be made into rope, clothing, and shoes after being soaked and torn. Dioscorea cirrhosa Lour. The ball-shaped rhizome of cirrhosa reveals its […]
Food | Ethnobotanical Study of Plants in Villages
Chinese MugwortArtemisia argyi The Hakka people believe that Chinese mugwort has the properties of removing dirt and filth, and the plant grows exceptionally well near Ching Ming Festival, thus Chinese mugwort leaves are added into Hakka rice cake as an ingredient near Ching Ming times. The Chinese mugwort Hakka rice cake, also referred as ‘Ching […]
Utensils | Ethnobotanical Study of Plants in Villages
Phrynium capitatum The leaves of the plant are large, glabrous, and structured. They are suitable for wrapping glutinous rice dumplings and steaming rice cakes. When rice cakes are steamed, clean, fresh leaves are used to line the base and sides of bamboo steaming baskets. Slurry is poured into the basket after lining. The stiff leaves […]
Rituals | Ethnobotanical Study of Plants in Villages
Pomelo Citrus maxima People bathe in fragrant water made by boiling pomelo leaves in hot water on Chinese New Year’s Eve. The practice can ward off negative energy and improve one’s luck. The leaf has an invigorating aroma. The correlation between pomelo leaf and luck might be related to how the plant’s name sounds like the […]
Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat) Festival
Background In Chinese tradition, the Dragon Boat Festival, otherwise known as the ‘May Festival’, coincides with the ‘Month of Five Poisons’. Hence, one of the rituals of the Dragon Boat festival involves warding off the ‘five poisons’: snakes, centipedes, scorpions, geckos, and toads. Rural residents employed different techniques to repel bugs and poisons, leading to […]