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Hong Kong Government Lunar New year kau cim tradition

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In each year's Chinese New Year celebrations in Hong Kong, a member of the Hong Kong Government represents the city in a divination ritual called kau cim. The event takes place on the second day of Lunar New Year in Che Kung temple, Sha Tin where a fortune stick is drawn. The luck of the city for that upcoming Lunar year will be foretold by the fate of the message corresponding to that fortune stick. The message is written in the form of classical Chinese poetry and then interpreted by Feng shui sifu and fortune tellers.

Tradition

Usually one stick is drawn for the fortune of the city by a main representative person. Other sticks maybe drawn for smaller community divinations. There are five categories of stick fortunes, from good (上), mid (中), to bad (下). Each level also has a varying degree within. For example, stick #27 is unlucky. It relates to the story of Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of Qin dynasty who built the Great Wall of China and sparked widespread opposition among his people.

References

Hong Kong Government Lunar New year kau cim tradition Wikipedia