Jaunt
FESTIVALS
drummer at the front and the
steersman at the back, working
together as a team, to race
towards the finish line.
Hungry Ghost Festival
Incense fills the air and small
fires erupt on roadsides across
the city in late August/early
September when the Hungry
Ghost Festival falls. During this
“ghost month”, the gates of hell
are said to open, leaving the
un-dead free to wander. Food is
given as offerings to them, and
paper versions of valuable goods
including mobile phones, bags
and money are burnt to pacify the
ghosts and honour ancestors. One
of the more unusual of the annual
Chinese festivals.
Mid-Autumn Festival
This major festival has been
celebrated since the Tang Dynasty
and honours the full moon, a
symbol of unity for the Chinese.
In Hong Kong, traditional round
pastries known as mooncakes
are still given, alongside modern
versions. A must-see event is the
enormous fire dragon dance in Tai
Hang, where a Chinese dragon
constructed with 70,000 glowing
incense sticks winds through the
streets down to Tin Hau. Another
is the lantern display erected at
Victoria Park.
During the festival, you will see the
city lit up with different shapes and
colours of lanterns. You can also
see Lantern Carnivals and the Fire
Dragon Dance, throughout the
festival. It is indeed a wonderful
and colourful festival.
Chinese New Year
This is usually
celebrated in January
or February and is easily
the most significant of
all the annual Chinese
festivals. You’ll hear
people greeting each
other with “Kung hei fat
choi!” – Cantonese for
“Happy New Year” – and
exchanging red envelopes
of money, known as lai see.
On New Year’s Day, a huge
night parade passes through
the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui,
while on the second day of
the Lunar New Year, a dazzling
fireworks display lights up the
skies across Victoria Harbour.
Tin Hau Festival
Tin Hau Festival is one of the
most celebrated festivals in Hong
Kong. It is usually celebrated in
April or May, annually. During the
festival, Hong Kongers gather
together to celebrate the birthday
of Tin Hau, the goddess of the sea.
What is unique about this
festival is you get to see various
performances and parades, such
as Chinese opera, as well as
dragon and lion dances, which
brings a festive mood, coupled
with a lively remembrance in
honour of the deity. Large scale
celebrations are normally held on
some of the outlying islands. Some
temples and villages celebrate the
festival on different dates.
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