Chinese festivals; Hong Kong seems to have so many of them, and yet you’ve never really understood what everyone’s actually celebrating and why.
Apart from giving you those precious extra days off work for you to sleep in, there are actually some very interesting backgrounds and unusual customs that make up Hong Kong’s festivals.
Ching Ming Festival - 4th April 2008
“Ching Ming,” which translates to “clear and bright” in Chinese, is known as the grave-sweeping festival, where families visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects. It is the family’s duty to maintain their relatives’ graves by sweeping, cleaning, re-painting any inscriptions, replacing old flowers and lighting new incense. People make offerings of fresh food such as fruits, chicken and roasted pork, as well as wine and flowers. They also burn “Hell Money” for their deceased loved ones to use; this might not sound too appealing, but the word “Hell” actually means “afterlife,” and it is not viewed with the same condemnation with which Christians view Hell. Interestingly, families can even ensure that their ancestors live in comfort, regardless of how they lived while they were still alive, by also burning anything from paper houses, luxury cars and drivers to billion dollar notes, which are then available for their deceased loved ones to enjoy beyond the grave. These acts of respect and love are also done in hope of gaining blessings from their ancestors.
Buddha’s Birthday - 12th May 2008
The birthday of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as Lord Buddha and the founder of Buddhism, occurs on the eighth day of the Chinese calendar’s fourth lunar month. In Hong Kong, Buddhists celebrate this occasion and pay respect to Buddha by bathing his statue, reciting Buddhist texts known as Sutras, cooking delicious Chinese vegetarian food and performing a special cleansing ceremony. Monasteries and temples throughout Hong Kong celebrate this lively, colourful event, but the greatest festivities take place at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, home of the infamous bronze Big Buddha.
Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng Festival) - 8th June 2008
So many people have heard of the infamous Dragon Boat Festival, but aside from the excitement of watching frantic teams of paddlers racing towards the finishing line with crowds cheering them on, there lies a more sombre origin to this lively festival. Legend has it, over 2000 years ago, a great poet, Qu Yuan, was a state official during a time when his homeland was under siege. His attempts to save their kingdom were met with slander and disgust by high government officials, eventually leading to his banishment. Finally, when the enemies began their invasion, he threw himself into the Mi Lo River. Local villagers rushed to save him in their boats, but it was too late; he had drowned. In an attempt to prevent his body being eaten by the fish, they threw rice dumplings into the water in hopes that the dumplings would be eaten instead. Now, dragon boat races symbolize the villagers’ effort to save him, while fresh, tasty rice dumplings stuffed with meat represent the dumplings thrown into the river to save the unfortunate poet.
Hungry Ghost Festival (Yue Lan) - 15th August 2008
Not a job for the Ghostbusters, keeping the hungry ghosts freed from the gates of Hell at bay in Hong Kong is a lengthy matter of offering food and luxuries to keep them living comfortably in the afterlife, as well as taking precautions to avoid the danger they bring as they stalk the earth. The Hungry Ghost Festival starts on the 15th day of the seventh month on the Chinese calendar and lasts the whole month. Similarly to the Ching Ming grave-sweeping festival, colourful paper objects are burned so that these hungry spirits have access to cars, mobile phones and televisions and if they’re really lucky, they’ll even be offered their own servants. If you’re thinking this sounds a bit excessive, be warned: it is believed that on this day, swimmers are at risk of being drowned by an evil ghost, and it’s also dangerous for children to stay out at night as the risk of being possessed is greater. Outdoor concerts and performances such as Chinese opera are also held to keep the ghosts hungry for entertainment happy.
Mid-Autumn Festival - 14th of September
The Mid-Autumn Festival, one of Hong Kong’s biggest festivals, is a celebration of China’s rebellion against Mongolia during the 14th Century. The Chinese people communicated secretly with each other using notes stuffed inside round cakes to plan their revolt. People celebrate nowadays by burning lanterns and candles and eating “Moon Cakes”- rounded cakes made of lotus and sesame paste and egg yolks, which represent the full moon, all surrounded by a thin crust. Head down to Victoria Park to join in the fun of playing with candles with fellow Hong Kongers or watch the moon rising at the Peak. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes are for sale everywhere so that when it comes to celebration night, you can enjoy lighting up a beautifully hand-crafted Chinese dragon, or Hello Kitty.
Cheung Yeung Festival - 7th of October
The Cheung Yeung Festival is another festival for families to pay tribute to their ancestors. It follows the story of fortune-teller who advised a man named Tam Kung to take his family to the mountains to avoid forthcoming danger. Up they went to the hills, and when they returned, they found that their entire village had been massacred. Now, on Cheung Yeung Festival, people also go hiking and enjoy picnics on the mountains.
SAR Establishment Day - 1 July
Ah, the day that Hong Kong was officially handed over to China by Britain, becoming the “Special Administrative Region.” Paradoxically, this day tends to be jam-packed with both patriotic performances and protests by the Hong Kong people. All in all though, it’s a great excuse for a public holiday where you won’t be doing any celebrating apart from watching the fireworks on TV.
Chinese New Year - 7th of February 2008
Chinese New Year is Hong Kong’s biggest and longest festive celebration. An exciting, colourful festival involving feasts, the giving out of lai see (red packets containing money), dragon dancing, fireworks, beautiful Chinese lanterns and decorations, and many oranges. See Geoexpat’s detailed articles on Chinese New Year: Chinese New Year - 8 ways to get the vibe and Four Bloopers to Avoid at Chinese New Year
