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 Situated at the base of Penha Hill, A-Ma Temple, with a history of over 500 years, is the oldest temple among the three ancient temples in Macau (the other two are Kun Iam Temple and Lin Fung Temple).
The temple is dedicated to the goddess A-Ma. According to legend, A-Ma, a poor girl looking for passage to Canton, was refused by the wealthy junk owners but a lowly fisherman took her on board. A storm blew up and wrecked all but the boat carrying the girl. On arrival in Macau she vanished, to reappear as a goddess, on the spot where the fishermen built her temple to pay homage.
It is said that over 400 years ago when Portuguese reached Macau and landed on the sea promontory opposite A-Ma Temple, they asked the local inhabitants the name of the whole place. The locals misunderstood they were denoting the temple and answered "Ma Kok", which later was transliterated into "Macau" by the Portuguese and became the Portuguese name for Macau.
The whole temple includes main hall, stone hall, great mercy hall and Kun Lam hall (Goddess of Mercy, Avalokitesvara). Along the cliff leading form great mercy hall to Kun Lam hall, there are many poems and verses inscribed on stone in all scripts, regular, cursive, seal character and official.
Believing A-Ma could predict auspicious and inauspicious things and help people to dispel calamity and turn danger into safety, on 23 March every lunar year, the birthday of A-Ma, and in the spring festival, many disciples gather here to pay homage and to pray for good fortune. |
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