Don’t miss Macau’s exclusive celebrations: the Drunken Dragon Parade and a climb up the oldest lighthouse

Text / MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network, compiled and reported by Chen Guanxin

 

Travelers who love experiencing festivals around the world shouldn’t miss Macau in May. The city is buzzing with events this month, including the “Feast of Our Lady of Fatima Parade” on May 13 to honor the Virgin Mary, the most revered saint in Portugal, the uniquely head-and-tail-only “Drunken Dragon Festival” on May 17, and the visit to the Guia Lighthouse—the oldest coastal lighthouse in China—open only during the annual “Harbour Day” series of events. Among them, the Macau Fishermen’s Drunken Dragon Festival features the “Drunken Dragon Dance,” where performers move as if tipsy while carrying the dragon’s head and tail through various districts of Macau, a rare and unique traditional event seldom seen elsewhere in China.

The Macau Fishermen’s Drunken Dragon Festival, which was included in China’s “National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage” in 2011, will be held on May 17. This event is a unique folk festival exclusive to Macau’s fishmongers, also known as the Macau Fishermen’s Drunken Dragon and Lion Dance Assembly. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, when an epidemic swept through Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan City), villagers walking by the river saw a giant snake leap out of the water. After locals chopped it up, its blood turned the river red. Those who drank the water were miraculously cured, and they believed the snake was the incarnation of a dragon. Thus, the Drunken Dragon Dance was created in its honor.

 

Unlike the widespread lion and dragon dances in other parts of China, the Drunken Dragon has only a head and a tail, both carved from solid wood, with no body in between. Two people hold the head and tail respectively, dancing while drinking alcohol, moving in a way that looks tipsy yet controlled—making it a highly entertaining spectacle. Every year on the evening of the seventh day of the fourth lunar month, local fish wholesalers and retailers gather in the market, sitting on the ground around tables for a communal meal, forming the tradition of the “Dragon Boat Head Longevity Rice.” During the feast, members perform blessings with a wooden dragon placed on the altar. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, all association members gather at the Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple in Macau to hold the Drunken Dragon and Lion Dance Festival, featuring rituals such as worship ceremonies, Drunken Dragon and Lion Dance performances, Drunken Dragon parade, and the distribution of Dragon Boat Head Rice.

To celebrate Macau’s “Harbour Day” on May 20, the Macau Harbour Master’s Office holds various festivities each year. This year’s events kick off on May 11. In addition to the shipyard opening its doors on May 19 to showcase ship models and various shipbuilding equipment, the Guia Lighthouse—the oldest coastal lighthouse in China and the Far East—will also be open to visitors on May 11, 12, 18, and 19 from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Before radar became widespread, the Guia Lighthouse served as a key navigational aid for ships entering the Pearl River. Along with the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the Macau Tower, it is counted among the “Eight Scenic Spots of Macau.” On the days the lighthouse is open, visitors can climb the spiral staircase to the top and enjoy panoramic views of Macau and the magnificent expanse of the Pearl River Estuary.