HKFP Lens: Crowds return for Hong Kong ‘villain hitting’ after last year’s Covid cancellation

Long queues were spotted under the Canal Road flyover on the fringes of Wan Chai and Causeway Bay on Monday, as the tradition of “villain hitting” returned to the city.

Last year, police warned people not to participate in the Chinese custom due to Covid-19 health concerns, as the city was confronted by its deadliest wave of the coronavirus.

Monday marked the beginning of the “insects awakening” season, one of the Chinese calendar’s solar terms, when the tradition usually takes place.

Villain hitting in Hong Kong involves paying someone to strike a piece of paper bearing someone’s name or a photo to repel bad luck and wrongdoing.

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