This year, in celebrating the birthday of the resident Deity of the Man San Fu tat Chi 万山福德祠(Wan Shan Fu De Ci), Tu Di Ye Ye , on the 2nd day of the 2nd Lunar Month, this Cantonese Temple had a Fire Dragon dance for the event. There were also six lions to lead the way. And a three-day Cantonese Opera from HongKong for the Gods and the devotees.

Fire Dragon is a rare animal(?) in Singapore. It could well be a Cantonese tradition and it is said that in Singapore, only the Man Shan Fu Tat Chi (in Cantonese) celebrates with this dragon, and not annually.

Made from padi straws, it is also known as Straw Dragon in Chinese (Tau Chao Long　槄草龙). It takes about 3 months to make this 88 metre long dragon and costs about S$3000 (according to Shin Min Daily report).

On the evening of the event, members of the temple and devotees lit the bigger than usual joss sticks and stuck them onto the head, body and tail of the dragon. When some hundreds of joss sticks were stuck into the dragon, it looked fiery and fuming (^^).

The most dramatic moment must have been when it came alive after being marked on its vital spots by the guest of honour. The glow and smokes from the joss sticks gave one the impression of a dragon cruising amongst the clouds. (^^)

After the three hour event with the twirling and swirling of the dragons, it caught into flames and as the smokes ascended, the ashes descended from the stand it was resting. The devotees’ ills have been transported away by this Fire Dragon.