According to legend, the goddess A-Ma saved a modest fisherman from drowning here by calming the raging seas. She then emerged from the waves, surrounded by light, and made her way to the top of a nearby hill. In memory of this event, the locals built a temple on the hill in the 16C and called the bay “A Ma Gok”, which the Portuguese transformed into Macau. This temple is the site of much emotional fervour, especially in April during the joyous festival of the birth of A-Ma.