PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An ancient Chinese celebration of a general-turned-god carried on for another year Sunday in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
Hundreds gathered outside the Hoyu Chinese Folk Culture Center on Wood Street in Chinatown to ring in the birthday of General Humin, a god for many from China’s Fujian Province. He’s known for protecting the southeastern Chinese province during the 10th century, allowing it to prosper.
Streets were full of music, prayers, a parade of gods alongside the general, and a festival complete with performances.
“But the most important is … for the people from the Hoyu Village in Fujian Province, they got a chance to gather their people from D.C., New York and Philadelphia to celebrate it together,” said Wei Chen with Asian Americans United.
Chen said Philly’s celebration was the first in the United States. The tradition started in 2009 and has since brought hundreds to the city at the end of every March.
“We want to use this magic power to positively influence our community, and bless our city and state," Chen said.
It’s also a time to pass down traditions to younger generations, like Jackson Zhang. His grandfather was an original sponsor of the Hoyu Folk Culture Festival, so he couldn’t resist stopping by the annual celebration while in town from Colorado.
“Being able to learn traditions and seeing things passed down, it’s definitely awesome considering culture is something that’s honestly depleting in this day and age, not even just Chinese culture, but culture all around,” Zhang said. “People are really disconnected, more on their smartphones… Just being able to do this really brings out a different side of people.”
“This festival is really just steeped in tradition," Zhang added. "It’s kind of like a taste of China almost for us."