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Holidays & Festivals
SAR status meant some changes in the public holidays in Hong Kong. July 1st and 2nd are designated SAR Establishment Day and The Day Following SAR Establishment Day, respectively, making a total of public holidays, a mixture of Chinese and Western. Some of these are interesting for the foreign resident; 11 of them have cultural significance.
Chinese New Year(1st Day of the First Moon in January/February)
The most important festival and the only time of year when most shops and business are closed in Hong Kong, over a three-day period (longer in certain traditional businesses). It is the start of the lunar calendar; its exact date varies yearly on the Western calendar.
Birthday of Che Kung (2nd Day of the First Moon in January/February)
Hong Kong's gamblers have their own god to bring them good luck for the year. Che Kung, a Sung Dynasty general, became an immortal and was elevated to a Taoist deity after he saved the inhabitants of Sha Tin Valley in the New Territories from a plague. This centuries-old tradition is celebrated by thousands of believers who flock to his temple to wish him happy birthday on the second or the third day of Lunar New Year.
Spring Lantern Festival (15th Day of the First Moon in January/February)
Popularly referred to as Chinese Valentine's Day, this festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Based on an old Chinese tradition, flower markets, restaurants, homes and parks are filled with colourful lanterns in traditional designs. During the festival, singles gather to play matchmaking games with the lanterns, to determine who will be their lover.
Ching Ming Festival (Third Moon in March/April)
Ancestor worship is a Chinese tradition dating back thousands of years. Also known as the Grave-sweeping or Spring Remembrance, Ching Ming ("clear and bright"), is when Chinese families show their respect by visiting the graves of their ancestors to clear away weeds, touch up gravestone inscriptions and make offerings of wine and fruit.
Birthday of Tin Hau (23rd Day of the Third Moon in March/April)
All those who owe their livelihood to the sea praise Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea. Tin Hau's birthday is celebrated to bring safety, security, fine weather and full nets during the coming year. There are celebrations at Tin Hau temples in different districts in Hong Kong. Seafarers adorn with boats with colourful ribbons praising the goddess for past protection and praying for future luck. Boats are loaded with symbols of devotion, with offerings to the goddess.
Cheung Chau Bun Festival (6th of the Fourth Moon in April/May)
A celebration dominated by white chinese buns is quite a spectacle, and it is one not to be missed. Every year on the tiny island of Cheung Chau, the people of Hong Kong celebrate the Bun Festival.
Enormous bamboo towers studded with white chinese bun and effigies of three gods dominate the grounds near the Pak Tai Temple, where the main festivities take place. The festival that lasts for about a week climaxes with a large, colourful street procession, which features costumed children on stilts in a carnival atmosphere that winds its way through the streets.
Birthday of Lord Buddha (8th Day of Fourth Moon in April/May)
The birthday of Lord Buddha is a celebration of great reverence in Hong Kong's Buddhist temples. Worshippers show their devotion throughout the day by bathing Buddha's statue. Celebrations centre round the major temples and monasteries in Hong Kong. Po Lin Monastery on LantauIsland, home to the world's largest, seated, outdoor bronze Buddha, is one of hubs of activity at this time. Enjoy sumptuous Chinese vegetarian dishes at Po Lin Monastery; observe the ceremonies at Miu Fat Monastery in Tuen Mun, in the New Territories.
Birthday of Tam Kung (8th Day of the Fourth Moon)
Another patron saint of the sea, Tam Kung, brings security and happiness to all fishermen. His birthday festival is celebrated with considerable devotion and fanfare at the Tam Kung Temple in Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island, which dates from 1905. Similar to the Tin Hau festivities, the seafarers celebrate in order to secure safety and good luck during the coming year.
Dragon Boat Festival (5th Day of the Fifth Moon in June)
This Festival, also known as Tuen Ng Festival, commemorates the death of a popular Chinese national hero, Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Mi Lo River over 2,000 years ago to protest against the corrupt rulers. Legend says that as townspeople attempted to rescue him, they beat drums to scare fish away and threw dumplings into the sea to keep the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body.
Birthday of Kwan Tai (24th Day of the Sixth Moon in July/August)
Kwan Tai is the God of War and the patron of Hong Kong's police and gangsters! An historical figure from the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-265), Kwan Tai was later deified as a Taoist symbol of integrity and loyalty.
Seven Sisters Festival (7th of the Seventh Moon in August)
Hong Kong's girls and young lovers have the Seven Sisters Festival all to themselves. The festival has its origin in Chinese folklore dating back more than 1,500 years. The legend, features a weaver maid (with six older sisters), who led a lonely life working at her loom throughout the year. Her father, the Heavenly Emperor, felt sorry for her and allowed her to marry a cowherder from across the Milky Way.
Yue Laan (Hungry Ghost) Festival (14th Day of the Seventh Moon in August)
Spirits of the dead are released to roam the world. Paper money is burned; food, fruits and wine are offered to appease the ghosts. It is the functional equivalent of All Souls' Day or Halloween in the West.
Mid-Autumn (Moon Cake) Festival (15th of the Eighth Moon in September)
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most charming and picturesque nights of the calendar. It is an occasion for parties, with everyone eating “moon cakes” to commemorate an uprising in 14th century China against the Mongols, who ruled China as the Yuan dynasty (AD1271-1368). Plans for the revolt were sent on paper baked inside small cakes.
Monkey God Festival (16th Day of the Eighth Moon in September)
This mischievous and playful god first appeared in Pilgrim to the West, a novel dating from the Ming dynasty (1386 - 1644) and has been brought into Western and Eastern popular culture with a TV series and movies detailing his adventures. An outcast from Taoist heaven, the Monkey God was redeemed and gained Buddhist immortality by escorting Tang Xuan Zang on his pilgrimage to the West to obtain the teachings of Lord Buddha.
Birthday Of Confucius (27th Day of the Eighth Moon in September/October)
Confucius's Birthday is celebrated reverently by Hong Kong's devout followers. One of China's most influential philosophers, Confucius's ethics stress self-enlightenment through the Five Virtues of charity, justice, propriety, wisdom and loyalty.
Chung Yeung Festival (9th Day of the Ninth Moon in October)
The Chung Yeung Festival is a day to respect and remember ancestors. Also known as Autumn Remembrance, this festival is similar to Ching Ming in the spring, in that families journey to the graves of their ancestors to perform cleansing rites and pay their respects. They share the food they bring along, especially Chinese cakes, ko, which is a homonym of the word for "top". Some believe that those who eat these cakes will be promoted to the top.
Dong Zhi (Winter Solstice Festival) (Eleventh Moon in December)
Dong Zhi is the second most important festival of the Chinese calendar. Celebrated on the longest night of the year, Dong Zhi is the day when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. The coming of winter is celebrated by families and is traditionally the time when farmers and fishermen gather food in preparation for the coming cold season. It is also a time for family reunions.
Other Holidays in Hong Kong include China's National Day (October 1st) and SAR Establishment Day (1 July). Christmas and Boxing Day (26 December) are observed, the latter being a British holiday that has been explained variously as the day unwanted Christmas gifts boxes are opened. January 1, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday are also observed as holidays, as are several summer Mondays.
Festival information and photographs courtesy Hong Kong Tourism Board.