On the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls each year on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, villagers from Pok Fu Lam Village on the southwestern edge of Hong Kong Island parade through the narrow lanes with a fire dragon to pray for well-being.
Though not as well known as the Tai Hang fire dragon dance, the tradition is believed to date back to the early 1900s. The metres-long fire dragon has historically been made by the villagers from hay, rattan, and bamboo. Tens of thousands of incense sticks are stuck onto its body and lit for its dance through the village.
At the end of the night, the fire dragon is taken down to Waterfall Bay, where it is returned to the sea and its incense extinguished.
