Devotees of KamFa Goddess come from Hong Kong and all over the world to pray to KamFa Goddess because She is able to materialize thier wishes come true. The pair of paper scroll by the two sides of the front gate read: “Wishes for children or grandchildren always granted. Wishes for male or female never rejected.” The paper scrolls were donated by a devotee some years ago to show that if one prays sincerely, the wish will always come true.
The Goddess KamFa is one of the great Gods in heaven, among which are the all merciful Avalokitesvara (Kunyum) and Tin Hau Yuen Gwen, the great guardian to all people and land. According to legend KamFa Goddess was the daughter of a martial arts teaching official in the Tang Dynasty. She was gifted with high intellect, integrity and loyalty. She secretly learned Kung-Fu from her father at a very young age. Achieving the essence of art forms, she adapted in both martial arts and literature.
A few days before KamFa Festival (April 17th of the Lunar Year) in 1981, Master Kwan Tak Hing (nicknamed modern Wong Fei Hung) was on a business trip in Japan. In a dream he was told by KamFa Goddess of the affinity between them. He was also instructed to bring more worshippers to the Temple as the local Peng Chau population was small. He was granted a wish to materialize whatever he wished for, and Master Kwan asked for good health. He was instructed to go personally to Peng Chau to pay Her respect first and that he would be received by the Head of the Temple.
Each year on April 17th of the Lunar Year when KamFa Festival is celebrated, Master Kwan’s son Mr. Kwan Hon Chuen, along with Master Luk Chong Mao (Master Luk Chi Fu’s son) and Master Cheung Kwok Wah (Master Kwan Tak Hing’s disciple) and friends, would bring more than 10 dancing lions to Peng Chau. On the day before the festival (April 16th of the Lunar Year) the Head of Peng Chau KamFa Temple and the Executive Officer would perform rituals by placing offerings and burning paper objects including money, clothing, food and other symbols of earthly necessities in front of the temple and on the East, South, West and North sides of the island. The rituals are meant to first appease all the spirits and gods of the underworld prior to the festival to ensure peace for all.
August 27th, 1997 of the Lunar Year was the day when Guardian General Kwan Tak Hing was enlightened. Since then, every August 27th of the Lunar Year, Mr. Kwan Hon Chuen, along with Master Luk Chong Mao and his son Mr. Luk Kuen Shing, Master Cheung Kwok Wah and his daughter Ms. Cheung Yuet Yi and brothers and friends, would come with dancing lions to Peng Chau KamFa Temple to celebrate. One day prior to the festival (August 26th of the Lunar Year), rituals are performed in the form of offerings and burning of paper objects in front of the temple.
October 16th, 2017 (27 August of the Lunar Year) will be the Guardian General Enlightenment Festival for Master Kwan. On October 15th, 2017 (26 August of the Lunar Year) the Temple will conduct rituals including offerings and burning of all sorts of paper symbols for the spirits of the underworld. On the day of the Festival, there will also be unicorn and lion dancings, followed by other celebration activities, including vegetarian lunch, distribution of well-being rice packs, gifts and the auctioning of well-wishing objects, etc.
KamFa Goddess mantra for blessings to keep away misfortune and disasters.
Devotees can take a ferry at the Outlying Island Pier No. 6 in Central. Upon arrival on Peng Chau Pier, you can walk along LuPeng St.,the end of which connects to Wing On St. Make a left turn and proceed about 20 metres before you reach an alley on your right with KamFa Temple standing in front of you. It is about 5 minutes’ walk from the pier. The service between Central and Peng Chau is operated by HKKF and is open 24 hours; regular services take 40 minutes and express ones, 25 minutes.
Alternatively there is also an inter-island ferry service that commutes between Peng Chau and Discovery Bay, Lantau Island Monestery, Mui Wo in Lantau Island, Chi Ma Wan and Cheung Chau.