A veteran actress, a Japanese actor and a Hong Kong teenager are among the worshippers who have flocked to one of the city’s largest Taoist temples on the eve of Lunar New Year to burn the first incense sticks of the Year of the Snake and pray for good fortune.
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Hundreds of devotees, after lining up outside Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple for hours in the cold on Tuesday, rushed forward at 11pm to place joss sticks before a painting of the Great Immortal Wong.
Widely known as Wong Tai Sin, the Chinese Taoist deity is regarded among followers as having healing powers. Folk wisdom suggests that the first to offer incense sticks at the main altar of the temple will receive the most blessings.
Among those on site was 94-year-old veteran actress Lana Wong Ha-wai, known for her elaborate costumes when attending the annual ritual over the past decades.
This year she was dressed as Bai Suzhen, one of the main characters of the Legend of the White Snake. The story describes a romance between a mortal man and a white snake spirit, Bai, who transforms into a woman.
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