About

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance was first performed in 1880, in what was then a small Hakka fishing and farming village. The tradition continues to this day, with the ceremony taking place on the evenings of the 14th, 15th and 16th days of the 8th lunar month.

According to oral history, much of the livestock in Tai Hang village was being devoured by a python, which was eventually tracked down and killed. This was followed immediately by a severe plague, which led to many deaths. The superstitious villagers became convinced that the plague was retribution for killing the serpent, which they believed to be the son of the dragon god.

The plague persisted until a village elder claimed that Guanyin, goddess of mercy and compassion, appeared to him in a dream, revealing that the way to end the suffering was to perform the Fire Dragon Dance, and to let off firecrackers around the village.…