Opera performances are sometimes held for socio-religious reasons, such as to celebrate the birthdays of deities, as seen in this advertisement. Here, the performance was going to be staged in honour of Tianhou Shengmu, or the Heavenly Queen. Known to be the protector of seafarers, the Heavenly Queen was popularly worshipped by Chinese immigrants seeking a safe passage across the South China Sea to southeast Asia during the 19th century.
