Hong Kong Orientation Guide

Festivals and Events

Public Holiday

NewYear

1 day/January 3 days/February

Birthday of Buddha

ChineseNewYear(Spring Festival)

Good Friday

1 day/April 1 day/April 1 day/April 1 day/April 1day/1May 1 day/May 1 day/June 1day/1 July

April / May. Buddhist Temples.

The day following Good Friday

Easter Monday

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

Ching Ming (Tomb sweeping) Festival

www.cheungchau.org May.

International Labour Day

Buddha’s Birthday

TuenNg Festival (Dragon Boat) Festival

Chinese Lunar New Year

Handover HKSAR Anniversary Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival

Feb. spectacular fireworks.

1day/September 3 days/1October

National Holiday

Dragon Boat Festival

CheungYeungFestival

1day/October

June.

ChristmasDay

1 day/25December 1 day/26December

BoxingDay

Hungry Ghost

Aug / Sept. Chinese Opera

Lantern Festival is held on the 15 th day of the first month of the Lunar Year and celebrates the endoftheSpringFestival and thefirstfullmoonoftheNewYear.Followinga long traditiondating back to the Han Dynasty, people celebrate by carrying bright-colored lanterns through the streets and eating glutinous rice balls.

Mid Autumn Festival

October. Lantern Festival

For a brief overview of festival origins and the dates when they are celebrated, pickupacopyoftheHongKongTourist Association’s free brochure,“Events and Festivals”.

Tomb-SweepingDay(ChingMing) inChinesemeans“cleanandbright”.InWesternterms, this holiday is aChineseMemorial Day.It is a time of sentimental remembrance of thosewho have passed on, by those who continue. Entire families take the day to clean and manicure their forebears’ resting place.

Hong Kong Tourist Association

Tel: 2508 1234 www.hkta.org

Dragon Boat Festival (DuanWu day of Right mid-day) is the 5 th day of the 5 th month of the lunar year.The story behind this unique celebration dates backmore than 2000 years agocenteringonapatriotic courtofficialnamedQuYuan.Qutried towarntheemperorofan increasingly corruptgovernmentbutfailed.Ina lastdesperateprotest,he threwhimself into the river and drowned. Later, Qu’s sympathizers jumped into boats beat the water with their oars and made rice dumplings wrapped in reed leaves (Zongzi) and scattered them into the River in the hope that fish would eat them instead of Qu’s body. Today, People eat “Zong Zi” and organize boat race to make theoccasion. Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15 th day of the eighth lunar month usually around September each year.Celebrating the full moon people eat moon cakes! Moon cakes are usually a sweet pastrywitha varietyoffillingsavailable,mostcommonly includingegg yolk and redbeanpaste. It is also a time where boxed ‘moon cakes’ are commonly given and received as gifts. This is oneofthemost celebrated festivals amongst westernerswhogo to thebeaches for sunsetand sundowners with children armed with lanterns.

More details visit: www.discoverhongkong.com

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