TRADITIONS
As told by the village head Tsang Hin Wing
Poon Choi
Poon Choi is a traditional food that the villagers ate during traditional holidays, such as Chinese New Year. The villagers would gather together to celebrate the festival, eat Poon Choi and cherish relationships with other villagers. The villagers would contact all their family members to set up a gathering and celebrate together. Nowadays they usually meet at a Chinese restaurant and order Poon Choi as takeaway so that they don’t need to cook themselves.
Back in the old days the villagers are another traditional fest (called 九大簋), which is from Guangdong and is comprised of eight dishes and one soup. All family members would gather outside the village with their cookware and ingredients, which included pork, fish and shiitake. There they would cook and eat together as different family units would cook different cuisines. They would socialize with family members and strengthen the relationships during the time they were cooking together. They would sit together outside the village, enjoy the cuisines and talk gossip, creating a joyful atmosphere. Nowadays they seldom cook 九大簋. They usually meet at the Chinese restaurant, eating Poon Choi.
Other traditions
The villagers also have a tradition of having the Tsang family members who have moved out of the village return for a visit after having a baby boy. They come back to the village and 點燈 (dian deng, literally means to light up a lantern). The reason for the tradition is to tell the ancestors as well as the Tsang family members that there is a new baby boy in the Tsang family.
Before Chung Yeung Festival the Tsang family members have a meeting to set up a date for sweeping the tomb. All family members will be informed so that they can join the tradition. Tsang Koon-Man’s tomb is behind Tsang Tai Uk on the hill. That is where all the family members who have lived in the village are and will be buried.