cAthy凱西貓

大坑火龍，始於公元一八八零年，距今已有百多年矣。火龍創立前，大坑區原為一客家農村，人口稀少，村民多以耕種、打石、捕魚為生。日出而作，日落而息，生活頗為清淡。據傳本村受某次風災蹂躪後，發現一大蟒蛇，為村民擊斃，送警署處理，時值夜深，放下後，翌晨蛇屍，不翼而飛。不料數日後，大坑村發生瘟疫，死人無數，村民惶惶不可終日。後村中父老，獲菩薩報夢，言於中秋佳節，舞火龍繞村遊行，燃炮竹，可驅瘟疫矣。炮竹內含硫磺白藥，加以香火，經薰蒸後，此古老良方，果然奏效，村民大喜，自始每年紮製火龍，巡行全村，祈求合境平安。火龍全長二百二十英呎，除龍頭龍尾外，龍身分三十二節，全身用珍珠草包紮而成，插滿長壽香，故又名『火龍』。每年中秋節前後三天，在區內由三百多名青年輪流揮動起舞，巡迴大小街道表演，配以燈飾，龍鼓音樂，頗為壯觀。

資料來源~香港銅鑼灣大坑坊眾福利會~

地點：地鐵天后站B出口

路線：銅鑼灣大坑區，巡經路線包括蓮花宮東/西街、浣紗街、安庶庇街、新村街、布朗街和華倫街。(7:30-10:30pm)

The Tai Hang Fire Dragon

The Tai Hang fire Dragon has its origin in 1880. At that time, Tai Hang was only a small Hakka village. Most of the villagers were farmers and fishermen, led a simple and peaceful life. The tale started when the villagers once killed a serpent in a stormy night, but in the next morning, the dead body of the serpent disappeared. A few days later, a plague spread out in Tai Hang and many people died of infection. Meanwhile, a village elder saw Buddha one night in his dream and was told to perform a Fire Dragon Dance and to burn fire crackers in the Mid-Autumn Festival. The sulphur in the fire crackers drove away the disease and the villagers were saved. Since then, every year the Tai Hang residents would perform the Fire Dragon Dance for three nights in the Mid-Autumn Festival in memory of the incident. The Fire Dargon is altogether 220 feet long with its body divided in to 32 segments, all of which are stuffed with straw and stuck full of incense sticks. So it is knows as the “Fire Dragon”.

Information form ~Hong Kong Tai Hang Residents Welfare Association~