Yu Lan Festival celebrates resurgence at Wah Fu Estate after five-year hiatus

Hong Kong's intangible heritage -- Yu Lan Festival of Wah Tai House in Wah Fu Estate -- resumed after a five-year hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring traditional Taoist rituals.

The rituals included altar ceremonies, "Breaking the Hell's Gate" performances, and symbolic crossings of the Gold and Silver Bridges to honor ancestors and wandering spirits.

Gary Wong Pui-fung, the project director and lecturer at the School of Sociology and Social Policy of the University of Leeds, said that residents have spontaneously presented folk customs in various forms.

The residents placed offerings in the courtyard to save on the costs typically associated with constructing temporary sheds for the Yu Lan Festival. 

This reflects the residents' modernization of traditional customs, Wong added.

However, as the Wah Fu Estate is slated for redevelopment and future designs will not include courtyards, Wong noted it remains uncertain whether there will be public spaces used for such traditional ceremonies.

He added that whether the Yu Lan Festival celebration could be continued at Wah Fu Estate will depend on the Housing Authority's community design and the residents' willingness.