Hong Kong is a metropolitan contains of countless fun traditions. As one of the twenty-four traditional Chinese solar terms, 驚蟄 is a well known traditions of true Hong Kong native. On this special day, if you go to the Ngo Keng Kiu, or Canal Road Flyover, in Causeway Bay, you’ll find many old ladies sitting in front of miniature shrines adorned with idol statues and incense sticks. If you have a ’designated target’, you may give his/her name to one of the old ladies. And she will help you to prepare a paper effigy, which they’ll beat loudly with an old shoe and speak repeatedly with the following script,
Beat your little head, your work never go ahead.
Beat your little eye, very soon you die.
Beat your little ear, you will not listen clear.
Beat your little mouth, you always have bad results.
Beat your little hand, your luck come to the end.
Beat your little foot, everything is not good.
This is a traditional ceremony called ”Petty person beating”, a very local experience even for those who aren’t superstitious.
