Monkey God Festival – Eighth Moon, Day 16
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This mischievous and playful god first appeared in Pilgrim to the West, a novel dating from the Ming dynasty (1386 – 1644) and has been brought into Western and Eastern popular culture with a TV series and movies detailing his adventures. An outcast from Taoist heaven, the Monkey God was redeemed and gained Buddhist immortality by escorting Tang Xuan Zang on his pilgrimage to the West to obtain the teachings of Lord Buddha.

In bygone days, during the Monkey God Festival, a possessed medium would receive tributes from followers and run barefoot over hot coals and then climb a ladder of knives and remain unhurt!

This practice has however ceased and today people celebrate the Monkey God's birthday by burning incense and paper offerings as tribute to the deity. The Monkey God Temple is located in Sau Mau Ping in Kowloon.

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