Storytime! How Macau Got Her Name

Nei ho!

Yesterday I learned the history behind Macau’s name in my Tourism Destinations class. It’s a neat little story that I thought I’d share.

Storytime!

The Temple of A-Ma is one of the oldest temples in Macau, dedicated to the Sea Goddess of A-Ma, but today houses other Chinese deities along with the Buddhist’s Buddha. Once upon a time, the Macau/Hong Kong area was a very important sea port. The people in the area used to worship A-Ma, asking her to protect their sailors and return them home safely.

When the Portuguese first landed in Macau, they landed at the A-Ma Temple. When they asked the local people what the town was called, the people misunderstood and responded with “A Ma Gau,” literally translated as “the place of A-Ma.” The Cantonese name for Macau is actually Ou Mun.

The Portuguese heard “A Ma-cau.” They thought that the “A” was the article before the noun, like “el” or “la” in Spanish. And thus the Portuguese named their new colony “Macau.”

The end,
Kati