The Economy and lifestyle of Hakka people
As the Chinese saying goes, “People are shaped by the land they inhabit.” Environmental settings significantly influence the traditional way of living and customary practices. Before the outbreak of World War II, the economy of the New Territories in Hong Kong relied mainly on fishing and farming. Local inhabitants efficiently utilised the natural resources available […]
World geopolitics and the birth of Ap Chau
The story of Ap Chau begins with the True Jesus Church (「真耶穌教會」). ♦ The True Jesus Church initiated its missionary efforts in mainland China at the start of the 20th century. Before the outbreak of World War II, missionaries founded churches and offered medical assistance in the Sha Tou Kok Market (Tung Wo Hui, 東和墟) […]
Stone-ground rice flour: the everyday life of farmers
Stick rice flour (粘米粉) and glutinous rice flour (糯米粉) are essential ingredients of traditional Hakka pastries. In bygone days before the establishment of supermarkets, pre-packaged rice flour was not available in rural areas. To make Ban-kwo (Hakka rice cake,茶粿和糕粄), farmers had to crush rice grains into powder by manually grinding the ingredients with a stone […]
Hakka Rice Cracker (Micang): a back-breaking Lunar New Year treat
Besides Hakka Year Cake (圓籠粄), the Hakka community celebrates Lunar New Year with a special delicacy called ‘Micang’ (Hakka Rice Cracker, also known as ‘Miceng’ and ‘Mitong’). Similar to chaguo (glutinous rice cake, 茶粿), the Hakka rice cracker is a rice-based product. Its main ingredients include sticky rice flour (粘米), glutinous rice flour (糯米), peanuts, […]
Hakka Year Cake: Family steamed rice cakes in bamboo steamers
Known as ‘gou’ (糕) in Cantonese and ‘ban’ in Hakka, this traditional delicacy is a form of cake created using ground rice. During the Lunar New Year, the Hakka people place great importance on making Hakka Year Cake (‘circular steamer cake’, 圓籠粄), serving both as gifts and for household consumption. A prevalent theory circulating online […]
Kitchen God Festival
The ‘Kitchen God’ (灶君) is a common sight near ancestral kitchen stoves in the New Territories. According to folklore, the Kitchen God makes an annual trip to the heavenly court on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month to report to the ‘Jade Emperor’ (玉皇大帝) about human affairs, facilitating the adjudication of rewards and […]
Kwan Tai (God of War) Festival
關公信仰是客家人最重要的的信仰,雖然客家人是多神崇拜,但是建主廟的話還是關帝為首,客家人的關帝廟的名稱多數為「協天宮」是關公的另一個封號「協天大帝」,在沙頭角很容易看到祂的身影,例如上面說到的荔枝窩,無獨有偶發現協天 宮包圍著沙頭角海,有谷埔、南涌、膊頭下、烏石角、山咀,非常有特色的協天宮 圈
The Seventh Sister’s Birthday Festival
七姐誕算是一個已經式微的大節日,舊時七夕是華人民間大節,風俗非常多!
在新界鄉郊當然有不少慶祝活動,而且是以女性為主的節日,浪漫和精緻,值得將七夕復興。
相傳這一天,天上的織女和幾位姊妹落到凡間遊歷,期間在河川之間洗澡,此時,牛郎遇到織女一見鍾情,從此雙方墜入愛河,織女偷偷下凡成了牛郎妻子,織女還將天上的手作工藝的藝法傳授給凡人,牛郎與織女男耕女織,過著幸福的生活。
Tools | Ethnobotanical Study of Plants in Villages
Dwarf Mountain PineBaeckea frutescens The branches of the plant can be tied together to make brooms. They grow on hillsides facing the sun. The crushed leaves of the plant smell of White Flower oil. They can be used to produce aromatic oil and tannin extracts. Sandpaper vineTetracera asiatica Both the top and the bottom surfaces […]
Multipurpose temples: A Map of Deities in Sha Tau Kok (Part II)
In addition to worshiping, temples serve three additional purposes: 1. As a regular meeting place for village and village alliance discussions, negotiations and arbitrations, and as a symbol of unity. Some temples were only worshipped by one village originally, yet they evolved to become the core temple of the whole village alliance after the formation […]