Macao at a glimpse

So you could well say the temple is older than Macao itself. A Ma is the goddess of the sea and statues of her are a regular sight in coastal areas. Here she looks out on the horizon as she has done for centuries. Every year on the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar moon, the locals hold a big celebration in her honor. The A Ma temple is the most popular in Macao. It鈥檚 obvious when you look at the amount of incense being offered. The people use a special kind of incense that burns for up to two weeks.

You can pay your own respects if you want.

Write the names of your family on a piece of red paper and hang it up with the incense. The temple is also a good place to find out more about your future.

For a more detailed look into your future, there's the fortune-telling sticks. Shake the container until one of the sticks falls out. The temple keeper interprets it for you for ten Yuan. Telling fortunes and selling incense are two of their main sources of income.

In the sixteenth century, the power of A Ma extended to cover those seafarers from the other side of the world. They also brought their own beliefs and built shrines to their own faith.

One of the churches, well the ruins of it, has become the hallmark of Macao. This is the remaining facade of St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral, dating back to the early sixteen hundreds. People once said it was second in grandeur only to St Peter's in Rome. It is also the site of the first western-style university in the Far East. The cathedral was all-but destroyed by fire during a disastrous typhoon in early 19th century.