How Hong Kong celebrated the birthday of Chinese sea god, Tam Kung

A performer plays the drums atop a dragon float during a street parade to celebrate the birthday of sea deity Tam Kung in Hong Kong on May 14, 2016. (AFP)

Updated on: May 17, 2016 7:50 PM IST

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A performer plays the drums atop a dragon float during a street parade to celebrate the birthday of sea deity Tam Kung in Hong Kong on May 14, 2016. (AFP)

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Performers wearing traditional costumes take part in a street parade to celebrate the birthday of sea deity Tam Kung in Hong Kong on May 14, 2016. (AFP)

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Tam Kung is also known as Lord Tam the sea god. (AFP)

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According to a legend he has the powers to contain the winds and storms making him popular amongst fishermen, and together with Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea, he became a patron deity of seafarers. (AFP)

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In the Chinese folk legends, Tam Kung also forecasts the weather and is popular among people of Hong Kong and Taiwan. (AFP)

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Legend has it that he was born in Huizhou in the Guangdong province in China. (AFP)

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Tam Kung also had the ability to cure patients since he was child. (AFP)

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Tam Kung was officially deified during the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912). (AFP)

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A number of temples dot Hong Kong dedicated to Tam Kung and prominent among them is Tam Kung Sin Shing Temple. Macau too has its Tam Kung temple located at the Rua de Cinco de Outubro in Coloane. (AFP)

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It is interesting to know that there are similar legends in other cultures too. For instance, Varuna is the Lord of the eternal ocean in Hindu mythology while Poseidon is the Greek god of seas and waters. (AFP)