February 28 (Lunar calendar: February 09), 2023 Tuesday | Dawnxisoul393art

《The Dragon Mother Goddess in Peng Chau Island, HK》, 

painted by dawnxisoul393

When we lived on Peng Chau Island in Hong Kong, we were deeply impressed by the architectural style there, especially the architectural style of temples. Although Peng Chau is a very small island, there are many temples dedicated to the goddess, of which the Lung Mo（Dragon Mother）Temple is the largest. Dragon Mother, the chief of the tribe, is known as the Goddess of the "West River" and is so widespread and influential that it is comparable to the Goddess Tian Hou, the Goddess of the Sea. This goddess, who is worshipped by the people of the West River, has many legendary stories and informative historical tales. As a dragon totem with special characteristics of West River culture, the image of the Dragon Mother has gained fame through historical and cultural accumulation. The unique cultural landscape of the West River Basin originated in 290 BC and has been spread to this day. Dragon Mother, surnamed Wen and named Ao, was born on the eighth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar in 290 B.C. From the moment she came into the world, Dragon Mother was a magical woman.

Legend has it that the newly born Wen Ao had hair more than a foot long and had a beautiful and dignified appearance. Wen Ao was smart, handy, and diligent since childhood, it was valuable that she also had a kind heart, from a young age set a vow: to do good for the people. She not only has the extraordinary ability to foresee the future but is also well versed in various medical skills, often saving lives and volunteering her time to serve the poor. At that time, the West River basin was still barbaric land, the environment was dangerous, a variety of diseases, floods, drought threatening the people of the West River basin. The intelligent and hardworking Wen Ao led the people to reclaim the wasteland and overcome many natural disasters so that the people could live in peace and recuperation, so with the support of the people, she became the chief of the tribe. One day, Wen Ao went to the river to wash clothes and found a crystal clear stone egg glowing at the river, so he brought it home.

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After seven months and twenty-seven days, the stone egg suddenly cracked, scurrying out of five snake-like "lizards", personality water-loving, Wen Ao loved them very much and fed them carefully like a mother. Five small lizards in the Wen Ao's training, smart and docile, grew up into five living dragons, Wen Ao put them back to the West River. The five small dragons were grateful for the kindness of Wen Ao's upbringing, and when Wen Ao had difficulties, they always came to help her. With the help of the five dragons, Wen Ao led the villagers to manage the flood and let everyone live a happy life. So, Wen Ao was respected by the people of the West River basin as the "Dragon Mother", becoming the Dragon Mother Goddess who benefited the people and kept them safe. The local officials of successive generations submitted the deeds of the Dragon Mother Goddess to the imperial courts, As a result, the Goddess of the Dragon Mother was enthroned in various ways by successive emperors and was included in the official rituals. As the rulers paid more and more attention to the Dragon Mother, the number of titles of the Dragon Mother Goddess increased day by day, and the worship of the Dragon Mother gradually sprang up in various parts of the West River basin since the Song Dynasty.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the belief in the Dragon Mother became more and more widespread among the people. The people of the West River valley and those who went to Southeast Asia to make a living still remembered the grace of the Dragon Mother for generations and hoped to be blessed by her from time to time, so they set up temples to express their respect for this goddess of rivers. The people in the West River basin visit the temple every year to pray for good weather and peace. Since the Dragon Mother is the goddess of the West River, the Dragon Mother temples were built on the riverside, and in the old days, there were many Dragon Mother temples in the counties along the West River as the "Dragon Mother Palace". According to historians, there were once two to three hundred temples of the Dragon Mother in the Pearl River basin, among which the Dragon Mother Temple in Yuecheng, Guangdong, was the most famous among the Dragon Mother believers. This belief in the Dragon Mother formed the "Dragon Mother Culture", which has a rich historical and humanistic connotation. Its formation and development are closely related to the geography and natural environment of the West River basin, and therefore has a strong water culture. At the same time, the culture of the Mother of Dragons reveals the maternal spirit of tolerance, peace, and love in human nature.

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"Totem worship" was one of the earliest religious beliefs in primitive society. On the basis of snake worship, people gradually accepted the concept of dragon worship. The legendary Mother Dragon, with all her good deeds, embodied the kind and loving motherly feelings and was warm to the people of that time and future generations. So much so that the Dragon Mother was seen as their ancestor and mother and worshiped. When people longed for the pursuit or suffered from frustration, they would pray to the Dragon Mother as if they were confiding in their ancestor or mother, thus gaining inner solace. People glorified the Dragon Mother as their grandmother and mother. With the development of the worship of Dragon Mother, a rich culture of Dragon Mother has been derived. The Dragon Mother (Lung Mo) Temple in Hong Kong was established in 1941 and started in the Kwai Chung area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. However, with the development of the city, the location of the Dragon Mother Temple was moved several times. Finally, in the early 1970s, it was relocated to Tung Wan (East Bay), Peng Chau. Surrounded by mountains and water, the Dragon Mother Temple in Peng Chau is similar to the Feng Shui realm of the Dragon Mother Ancestral Temple in Yue Cheng. On the 8th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar, many people go to the Dragon Mother Temple to pray for happiness and peace for their families.

This year's Peng Chau Dragon Mother Festival was held successfully. Affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, the scale of this year's celebration was greatly reduced. In the past, it was a lion dance at the Peng Chau pier, followed by a parade through the streets of Peng Chau. This time it was held in the open space in front of the Dragon Mother Temple. Dragon Mother Culture (Hong Kong) Association was also established, hoping to promote the culture of Dragon Mother in Hong Kong. The Dragon Mother Culture (Hong Kong) Association and the Islands District Council will also assist in the renovation of the Peng Chau Theatre, which has been deserted for 34 years, in the hope of revitalizing the historic building and allowing more people to understand Peng Chau and the culture of the Dragon Mother. At around 11am, the front of the Dragon Mother Temple in Peng Chau was already very lively with the sound of gongs and drums and two lion heads jumping and spinning. During the Dragon Mother's birthday, we returned to Peng Chau Island to pay our respects at the Peng Chau Dragon Mother Temple. According to folklore, the Dragon Mother had to return to her mother's home by boat every year on her birthday, and she had to bathe and change her clothes on the eve of her departure. Therefore, during the Dragon Mother's birthday, the ancestral temple of the Dragon Mother in Yecheng would send people to Dragon Mother's hometown and invite four women from her hometown to bathe and change clothes for the Dragon Mother at the Dragon Mother ancestral temple in Yecheng.

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The charming bay in front of Peng Chau Dragon Mother Temple - East Bay of Peng Chau Island is said to be the Dragon Pool of Peng Chau, where the Dragon Mother of Peng Chau bathes. Inside the temple there were two people kneeling shoulder to shoulder, holding incense and candles, praying for the blessing of the Dragon Mother. Later we went to the throne of the Dragon Mother and prayed to the Dragon Mother Goddess in homage. The Goddess, with a kind face and a red glow, sat quietly and looked at us with a smile. There was also a "Dragon Bed" inside the Dragon Mother Temple. It is said that when people touch this "dragon bed", they will get good luck, will get pregnant and give birth to children or business prosperity, an actress who was still unable to get pregnant in her forties was introduced to this place by her friends to touch the dragon bed, and she gave birth to "dragon and phoenix twins" (a baby boy and a baby girl) the next year. No wonder a great poet of the Tang Dynasty said, "A mountain is not high, but a fairy is famous, and water is not deep, but a dragon is spiritual". After the worship, people embarked on their return journey with the autumn breeze, coming with hope and returning with hope too. In this time of the Covid-19 epidemic, may the Dragons Mother grant health and happiness to everyone who visits！

Original by dawnxisoul393

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The Goddess Lung Mo（Dragon Mother）, Peng Chau Island, Hong Kong,  Dawnxisoul393