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Crowds seeking spiritual release queued up under the Canal Road Flyover in Causeway Bay on Mar.5. For only HK$50, the self-proclaimed psychic, also known as the “godmother”, can cast a spell on a villain of your choice. A client would write the name of the hated person on a piece of paper. The godmother would then fold the paper talisman, hit it viciously with a shoe then stuff it into the mouth of a paper tiger, which was then burned to ashes.  The client would then offer incense to the god of the earth and the white tiger. The white tiger is the bogeyman in Chinese folklore and the offering, again is supposed to dispel bad luck. Finally, a piece of paper with a prayer on it would be offered  to the deity. Clients would then  use a divination block to ask the deity questions and then get responses through the divination block. The ritual called “villain hitting” is believed to take away bad luck, is a form of folk witchcraft practiced in the Cantonese-speaking regions of China.  This activity is especially popular on the day of  the “Awakening of Insects”, one of 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar, which symbolises the revival of insects, as well as t pests. While Hong Kong is far from agricultural, the Awakening of Insects is also a time to ward off evil.  Koline Kong, a 20-year-old local girl waited more than three hours for a five minute villain hitting session.  “It's my first time at this event, “ she said. ‘My sister asked me to help her clear up her bad luck.” “I found this activity very interesting on Rednote, so I came to experience it with my good friend,” said Sylvia Wang, a 23-year-old Hong Kong University student.  The “godmother” also …

Visitors to this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival can immerse in a virtual reality party in Paris, titled Le Bal de Paris. The experience at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre has been on offer since Thursday as part of the Arts Festival. The dance is created by Spanish choreographer and film director Blanca Li and developed by a team of 100 people.  All 1,100 tickets were sold out according to the Hong Kong Arts Festival website. Kot Ka-ching, 16, a secondary student, was asked by her school dance teacher to try the VR experience to try out different parts of the dance.  “I am pretty surprised that during the dance, I can smell the scent of flowers and feel the breeze, making me fully immersed in it,” Kot said.  “It would be great if there is someone to lead us throughout the experience, as there are too many places to explore, which made us a bit confused,” said Kot. Alex So, 30, a media worker, said he was impressed by the sense of space of the VR experience and felt he was in a boundless world, despite being in a limited space in real life. “I want to experience women's clothing because I never have the chance to wear it in real life,” said So. “This experience was so special. As soon as I put it on, the sense of immersion was instantly heightened.”  “It is my first time at the Hong Kong Arts Festival,” said Catherine Zhang Ziyun, 30, the founder of Shanghai Serenade Culture.  “I have always paid attention to the integration of culture, art, and technology. I believe art needs to be combined with science and technology to create new content and elements,” Zhang said. Zhang added she is looking forward to seeing more VR experiences, which …