AT THE TAI O WATER PARADE

The Dragon Boat Water Parade of Tai O is an annual highlight of the Tuen Ng Festival; a century-old religious ritual aimed at pacifying the water ghosts and making Tai O a safe place to live. In the early morning of June 22, deity statues from four local temples were put on sacred sampans and towed by dragon boat in a parade through the Tai O waterways. Villagers burnt paper offerings and sprinkled the water with “auspicious” joss paper as the deities passed by. After the parade, local fishermen held a friendly dragon boat race. [PHOTOS BY Beatrix Malanwww.astcollective.com.]