Yesterday morning saw hundreds of participants in a lively parade held for the “World Na Tcha Folk Belief Culture Festival”.
Kicking off from the steps of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, down through Rua da Palha, and eventually ending in Largo do Senado, the colourful parade featured two of the city’s Na Tcha temples, along with other participants, celebrating the tutelary deity as they carried statues and two Na Tcha divine sedan chairs, performed lion dances and other festivities, to the resounding beat of the drum and the sound of the gong.
Water was meanwhile sprinkled as the procession continued, with the action noted by Gemini as representing the bestowing of blessings and protection, the warding off of sickness and plagues, and cleansing.
The event gathered scores of onlookers who stood on the sidelines of the route to watch and snap pictures, including those of the young participant clad in Na Tcha’s attire while sporting his distinctive two buns in his hair.
The parade was also joined by several officiating guests such as Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man and Macao Government Tourism Bureau (MGTO) Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong, walking the route with participants.
Macau’s Na Tcha folk belief was inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014. Its history in Macau, as noted in the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) website, spans over 300 years, having many characteristics that are unique to the city.
Following the parade, Macau Temple Festival Cultural Promotion Association President Fong Kin Fu reaffirmed to reporters on the sidelines of the event that the festival marks the first time that the two temples have co-organised the festival, which also invites representatives from various regions.
Fong also pointed out that while each temple possesses its own unique character, organisers hope to expand beyond the two Na Cha temples in terms of co-organising events to encourage cross-collaboration.
The ongoing festival that ends tomorrow is a collaboration between Macau’s two Na Tcha temple associations that are respectively based near the Ruins of St Paul’s and Calçada das Verdades. It also proves significant for marking the first cooperation between the two Macau temples in a hundred years.
The festival programme also includes an exhibition highlighting the history, heritage and culture of Macau’s Na Tcha Customs and Beliefs, continuing to be held at Barra Kitchen for two more days.Read more about the exhibition on: https://www.macaupostdaily.com/news/29396
A young participant dressed as tutelary deity Na Tcha waits for the parade to kick off from the Ruins of St. Paul’s yesterday morning.– Photos: Rui Pastorin
