Holidays in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Weekend and City Information Thinh Hau Birthday

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February 3-5: Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year)
April 22: Good Friday
April 5: All Souls' Day
April 24: Easter
May 10: Buddha's Birthday
June 6: Dragon Boat Festival
August 14th: Feast of the Hungry Ghosts
September 12: Mid-Autumn Festival
October 5: Feast of the Two Nines
December 25: Catholic Christmas

Holidays and weekends in Hong Kong in 2012

January 1-2 -
January 23 - 25: Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year)
April 4: All Souls' Day
April 6-7: Good Friday
April 9: Easter
April 28: Buddha's Birthday
May 1: Labor Day
June 23: Dragon Boat Festival
July 1-2: Establishment Day of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
October 1: Mid-Autumn Festival and Founding Day of the People's Republic of China
October 23: Feast of the Two Nines
December 25-26: Catholic Christmas

More about holidays in Hong Kong (ranked by date)

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year, aka Spring Festival)

When does it pass: the first day of the first lunar month (in 2011 - February 3, in 2012 - January 23).
How they celebrate: they try to get together with the whole family, clean up houses, replace fushkas, pray to their ancestors. On New Year's Eve, they eat, then go out into the streets to set off fireworks. The next day, working and married / married relatives give money in red envelopes to all non-working, unmarried / unmarried relatives and children. They also give gifts to each other.
Each of the next fifteen days after the New Year has its own name and obliges people to do certain things, eat certain foods, go or not go to visit, etc. These traditions, however, are little observed at present, except on the fifteenth day (see "Lantern Festival" below).
How many celebrate: 3 official days off (New Year's Day itself + 2 days after it). Who has the opportunity, celebrates up to 15 days.

Lantern Festival

When does it pass: 15th day of the first lunar month (in 2011 - February 17, in 2012 - February 6).
How they celebrate: light red paper lanterns; launch special lanterns into the sky; blow up a lot of firecrackers; eat yuanxiao (元宵) - round rice balls with sweet fillings.
How many celebrate:

Hong Kong Arts Festival

When does it pass: in 2011 from February 17 to March 27, in 2012 from February 1 to March 8
How they celebrate: top Asian and global artists perform from classical to the most innovative performances (opera, concerts, ballet, jazz, contemporary drama, classical productions and more).
How many celebrate: various 36-38 days

Hong Kong Flower Show

When does it pass: in 2011 from 11 to 20 March. Every year on different days of March.
How they celebrate: more than 200 organizations from 21 countries showcase their flowers.
How many celebrate: differently

Hong Kong International Film Festival

When does it pass: 2012 from March 21 to April 5
How they celebrate: traditional film festival. Mostly Asian films.
How many celebrate: 2 weeks

All Souls' Day (Qingming)

When does it pass: 104th day after the winter solstice (usually April 4 or 5)
How they celebrate: they visit the graves of their ancestors, they burn incense sticks and “money” (papers depicting money) there, they scatter colored papers and ribbons around the grave. They lay out food in front of the graves (besides the real ancestor, there is usually also a symbolic grave of the guardian spirit), but, unlike the Russians, they then take all of it with them, leaving nothing.
Now, however, most people are cremated, so it is no longer possible for them to give such honors.
How many celebrate: one day (is a holiday)

Thinh Hau's birthday

When does it pass: 23rd day of the third lunar month (in 2011 - April 25, in 2012 - April 13)
How they celebrate: people come to pray, burn incense, bring fruits to temples dedicated to this goddess. this is the goddess of the sea, protecting and protecting sailors.
How many celebrate: one day (this day is not a holiday).

French Art Festival

When does it pass: 2011 April 15 to June 23
How they celebrate: the largest French art festival in . Visual arts, music, dance, cinema, French food and fashion.
How many celebrate: always from the end of April to the middle of June

Buddha's birthday

When does it pass: eighth day of the fourth lunar month (2011 - May 10, 2012 - April 28)
How they celebrate: they wash the Buddha statuette with water from a small ladle and say special prayers. They write wishes on cards and stick them in the temple.
How many celebrate: two days - the weekend closest to the holiday.

Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu, Cant. Tuen Ng Jit, 端午節)

When does it pass: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (in 2011 - June 6, in 2012 - June 23)
How they celebrate: eat zongzi (glutinous boiled rice with various fillings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves), watch competitions in dragon boats (long narrow boats with many rowers). Boating competitions are held everywhere.
How many celebrate: one day (official holiday); dragon boat competitions are held quite often throughout the year.

Chinese Valentine's Day (Qixie, Seventh Night Festival)

When does it pass: on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (in 2011 - August 6, in 2012 - August 23)
How they celebrate: now practically nothing, couples come up with for themselves.
How many celebrate: one day (not a holiday)

Feast of the Hungry Ghosts (中元節)

When does it pass: 15th night of the seventh lunar month (in 2011 - August 14, in 2012 - August 31)
How they celebrate: they burn incense, ritual money, papier-mâché crafts depicting luxury items - everything is for the dead ancestors. During the meal, an empty chair is left at the table. It differs from All Souls' Day in that on this day all the dead, both young and old, are commemorated, and not just immediate ancestors.
Also, miniature paper boats and lanterns are released onto the water, which should indicate the direction of the lost spirits.
How many celebrate: one evening (not a weekend).

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節)

When does it pass: 15th day of the eighth lunar month (in 2011 - September 12, in 2012 - September 30)
How they celebrate: light lanterns, launch lanterns into the air, burn incense, eat mooncakes.
How many celebrate:

Monkey God Festival

When does it pass: 16th day of the eighth lunar month (in 2011 - September 13, in 2012 - October 1)
How they celebrate: burn incense and burn gifts to this god. The celebration takes place at: Po Tat Estate, Po Lam Road, Sau Mau Ping, Kowloon. The Monkey God first appeared in the novel Journey to the West and has since been much loved in China and beyond.
How many celebrate: one day (not a holiday).

Chun Yeun (重陽節 , Holiday of two nines)

When does it pass: the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (in 2011 - October 5, in 2012 - October 23)
How they celebrate: nine is the number of yang energy, and on the day of two nines this energy accumulates so much that it can be dangerous. To protect themselves, people climb mountains (even small mountains), drink chrysanthemum wine, and carry zhuyu shoot with them. .
How many celebrate: one day (is a weekend).

A trip to Hong Kong can be combined with holidays celebrated here, both traditional Chinese and those who came from the West. Traditional holidays in the Yueli lunar calendar do not have fixed dates.

The Chinese New Year of Chunjie (“spring festival”) falls on the first new moon of the first month of the year (January-February) and takes place on a large scale, colorful parades on the water and magnificent fireworks over Victoria Bay.

The Yuan Xiaojie Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the new year and is accompanied by the lighting of millions of lanterns.

Memorial Day Qingming or Taqingze (full moon of the third month, April) is a ritual day of commemoration of ancestors and the memory of fallen heroes, accompanied by ancient rituals.

The Duanwujie holiday is very colorful - the Dragon Boat Festival (the fifth day of the fifth month, June), during which the poet Wut Yuan is commemorated and boat competitions are held.

In August - September, Yue Lian is celebrated - the Festival of Wandering Spirits (the first day of the seventh moon), when, according to legend, the souls of the dead visit the world of the living.

Worship of the moon god takes place on the Moon or Harvest Festival of Zhongcujie (fifteenth night of the eighth moon, September), which is also considered the holiday of lovers and the day of remembrance of the uprising against the Mongol conquerors.

The birthday of the great philosopher Confucius (September 28) is also a national holiday.

Hong Kong regularly hosts the grandiose Mid-Autumn Festival and the honor of the fullest moon of the year, the world's largest exhibition of toys and games "Hong Kong International Toys and Games Fair" (January), one of Asia's largest Hong Kong Theater Festival (February - March).

Speaking of theater, be sure to visit the Canton Opera. As in the famous Peking Opera, much attention is paid to the spectacular side here. Statistically, mise en scenes allow the viewer to get to know each of the characters in detail, their appearance, character and role in the plot. But everything changes in a second - and now you have in front of you dexterous acrobats, sparkling bright colors and loud music that accompanies the action. Chinese drama is also of great interest, before the start of the performance it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the plot by reading the program. In any case, pleasure and good mood from the performance are guaranteed.

Top photo: StokSnap, CC0

What impressed Hong Kong and useful information at the end.

In Southeast Asia, there are two megacities - these are Singapore and Hong Kong (well, Macau, okay, three). Once I was told that if you want to see both, then it is better to first Singapore, then Hong Kong. By coincidence, that is what happened. And now I understand why: after Hong Kong, Singapore is not so impressive, but having visited Singapore on the contrary, I still like it.

Start.

What immediately impressed me was the view of the waterfront on the side of Kowloon. Such a number of skyscrapers, standing as a solid wall with greenery encircling them, you probably won’t find many places, and you just want to sit and watch. Although the weather was overcast and the haze made everything gray, it was still very beautiful.

They say about Hong Kong "stone jungle" and, indeed, this name itself comes to mind when you look at the views of Hong Kong Island. And wandering the streets is quite unusual when huge towers of skyscrapers rise above you, which makes the streets look like narrow paths among all these giants.

By the way, the old double-decker trams are completely touching - the colonial heritage of England, plying along the coastline of Hong Kong Island. It just makes me want to ride there. The cost of everything 2.3 HKD adult and 1.2 HKD children's.

Tram lines remain only on Hong Kong Island, and are located along the coastline. They go back and forth, more details can be found on the tram website. Tram drivers do not give change, so either count coins or pay with an Octopus card (more on that below).

You can, for example, take a double-decker tram to the shopping center Hopewell Center(Address: 62/F, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East) and go up to dine at the panoramic restaurant that also spins with a 360-degree view. There used to be a VIEW 62 by PACO RONCERO bar featured in many blogs, but now it's here The Grand Buffet. Pay the entrance fee and eat as much as you want while the city view restaurant spins around giving you views from every direction

Despite the increased development, walking in the center, you can still find quite a lot of greenery, beautiful cozy parks, where you can even see flamingos. I thought it was so great. Imagine you are walking home from work, sitting in the office all day and staring at the computer. And then again - a flamingo, well, just in a city park. Class!

By the way, this is Kowloon Park, located right next to the Tsim Sha Tsui (or Tsim Sha Tsui) metro station, admission is free. Inside the park there is also a small poultry house, also free.

The park also has an outdoor swimming pool, paid, but at the moment it was under reconstruction and was closed. Among other things, the city has several temples, Chinese and Buddhist, museums, for example, the Science Museum is a rather interesting place. But all this can be seen if you are not in Hong Kong for one or two days. If it’s only a couple of days, then it’s definitely worth a trip to Victoria Peak and Lantau Island to the Big Buddha. By the way, it is convenient to go to the Buddha on the way to or from the airport if you are light.

Victoria Peak located on Hong Kong Island, it is from here that the very famous views that are the hallmark of Hong Kong were filmed. Of course, it’s better to come here when the sky is clear, otherwise you won’t get good views and impressions may be somewhat blurred.

The mountain where Victoria Peak itself is located is quite an elite place to live. The first buildings appeared here at the end of the 19th century, when Governor Richard McDonell built his house here, and then other wealthy residents followed his example.

Get to the Peak The most convenient way is on the Peak Tram funicular. You can also pay for the road with an Octopus card, the cost can be viewed on the website Peak Tram. At the top, you will get to a platform on the mountain with cafes and shops, where you can climb the Sky Terrace 428 observation deck (you can buy a ticket immediately along with a ticket for the funicular). The tower itself has a balcony on the second tier, where you can go out for free and look at almost the same view as from above, but not with such a large viewing angle.

On the observation deck itself there is an audio guide, free of charge, you can take it from the orange booth at the entrance. You will be given a player and headphones. True, they will only speak English there, but you can poke the player’s screen and see what kind of skyscrapers are visible from the Peak, their names and a short description.

In fact, the views open not only on skyscrapers, but also on the mountains and the sea on the other side, but due to rainy weather, almost nothing was visible.

More budget Victoria Peak can be reached by bus number 15, which leaves from pier 5 or 7, there is a bus stop there. You can walk to the pier from the Central subway or, if you are coming from Kowloon, you can sail there by ferry. Fare to the summit 9.8 HKD.

Even more budget you can walk, the easiest way to do this is from the end of the Mid-Levels Escalator - the longest escalator in the world, listed in the Guinness Book of Records. You can reach it on foot from the Central or Hongkong metro or 10 minutes from the pier if you came by ferry from Kowloon (you can download an offline map by the way Maps Me in Google Play or App Store and navigate through it).

In general, this is not really an escalator, just a road up with a lot of escalators and travolators between spans. Next to the escalator are just steps. The escalator system was specifically designed to take people down in the morning and up in the evening. Therefore, keep in mind that it will not work to go up and down on it here and there, the escalator works from 6 am to 10.30 only down, and from 10.30 to 12 at night only up.

The escalator is free, to say that it’s worth going there not for the sake of a free climb to the mountain, but just to look ... well, to be honest, we didn’t find anything interesting in it - just a staircase, it’s just ordinary life around: windows of houses, courtyards, shops, clothes are drying .... Whether to spend time on it ... decide for yourself.

But there is a small bonus if you come, having risen literally a couple of flights up, you can see the terminal for the Octopus card, by attaching the card to it you will be credited 2 HKD Well, that's just a bonus. It will be very easy to find, he is the only one there, and everyone, passing by, puts their cards.

From the escalator upstairs to Victoria Peak, they say it takes half an hour. We didn't go, because our goal was to get interesting, not free. True, for a change, we decided to go down on foot and go upstairs by funicular (by the way, they say there are long queues at the ticket office, but we came in the morning and there was no queue).

But in the end, we didn’t really like the idea of ​​“walking down” either, the road is quite long, although nice, you can also get confused: the signs are not clear, the paths branch off, and you can get off at the other end of the island, which we did, why the legs at the end of the path were like lead and I no longer wanted to walk somewhere else.

All of the above, in principle, can be visited in one day. But I advise you to spend another day on Lantau Island and Po Ling Monastery.

Here's where it's really cool, it's here. I don’t know if this is related to the Buddha, but the place is incredibly energetic and peaceful. Also great views of the mountains. By the way, in rainy weather they were even more luxurious. So unusually the clouds covered the tops, then sliding down, then rising to the top, completely hiding everything behind them. Sometimes it seemed to be heavenly rocks or flying islands and Buddha sits on top of everything.

Upstairs, do not be lazy, walk through the village of Ngong Ping, sit in a cafe with coffee, it's so nice. There are also shops with souvenirs and various crafts. For example, a shop of Japanese cats Maneki-neko, which bring good luck and wealth. The choice is very large and varied.

Even on cloudy days it is pleasant here.

By the way, the route can be built like this: get there by bus, and back by cable car. The bus ride takes about 45 minutes, but the views are very beautiful, at the same time you can partially see Lantau itself. Along the way, views of beaches and mountains open up, as well as a very beautiful lake among the mountains, very picturesque, the road just flies by unnoticed. And back, when there will already be a lot of impressions, return along the short path of the cable car.

We planned to do so, but the weather was rainy, which is not uncommon here, and in this case there is no point in taking the cable car, since you will not see anything. What does nothing mean, it’s like this 🙂 And this is not a bad shot, you really can’t see anything, the outgoing booths disappear from view already at 20 meters.

You can get there from the city by metro to Tung Chung station, then either immediately by cable car Ngong Ping 360(5 minutes walk).

By bus: near the cable car there is a bus ring, taking route number 23, the bus runs quite often, the fare 17.20 HKD.

From airport: by bus №s1 to the Tung Chung metro station and then either by cable car or by bus 23. For example, we drove from the city to the airport, left our things there and drove lightly up the mountain. But, if you decide to go to the Big Buddha during a transfer in Hong Kong, then for a calm inspection you need at least 4 hours of time, taking into account the road.

Information about Hong Kong

So, you have arrived. How to get to the city from the airport.

The cheapest is the bus. By the way, I recommend it, since the buses are double-decker, and if you guess, and sit in the front seats on the second floor, you can watch the views of Hong Kong as in the first row of the cinema. True, if you are with suitcases, then you will not be able to go upstairs, the stairs are very narrow. Or you can leave your suitcases downstairs in a special compartment and keep an eye on them on the screen on the second floor, as a camera is installed. Stop numbers and the names of the nearest hotels are also written on the screen, so you can navigate where you get off. But closer to the center, do not yawn, stops literally every minute, everything is very close.

Many blogs write about how to find a bus, go to the terminal there w, d, b ... go down, right to left ... I see no reason to fill my head with this information. The airports of Hong Kong and Singapore are probably the most informed places in the world. Everywhere signs, indexes, inscriptions. You can easily find where to go to the bus station, where to express trains and everything else.

Therefore, leave the arrivals area, look at the signs that are everywhere, and go down to the bus stop. Immediately at the exit you will see a large board with bus numbers and routes. My stay was in Kowloon, if you go there, then for you bus A21. Price 33 HKD, (exchange rates heh.som).

It also goes to the center - airport express- fast and convenient, but not particularly budgetary. Although it is still more convenient to get to Kowloon by bus, in my opinion, it goes past the right hotels.

RECOMMENDATION: use to pay for public transport map Octopus, you can buy it at the MRI counter at the airport, in the same place where express tickets to the city are sold. Buying is very simple, go to the MRI (large prominent racks in the middle of the halls), say "octopus card", and they give you one.

The minimum you can pay 150 HKD, of which 9 will not be returned (or returned if you stay in Hong Kong for at least 3 months), 50 is a refundable deposit, in the account there will be 100 HKD for use.

If you are already planning from the beginning and know where you will go, what places you will visit, then you can immediately put more money on the card. But, since the exchange rate at the airport is not the most profitable, you can report later, at special metro terminals or at any 7/11 store at the checkout.

The card can be used to pay for transport (bus, tram, metro, ferry between the islands, entrance fees to Victoria Peak, cable car to Lantau, purchases at 7/11, other stores, etc.). In general, you do not need to carry money, it is convenient in transport, since drivers usually do not give change, in some places there is a discount on this card. And for those who are not particularly good with English, it will be easier - you don’t need to figure out what’s what at the metro or ferry terminals, just put a map and go.

Accommodation

If you want a good hotel, then the choice is large, compare the prices of various hotel booking systems through special resources Hotellook or Room Guru. If we talk about budget accommodation, then there are entire complexes with a bunch of guesthouses in one building, they are located in Kowloon.

We stayed in one of these Chungking Mansion(the same, for example, is the Mirador Mansion nearby). If you are traveling by bus A21 from the airport, get off at stop number 14. Several buildings of 16 floors with guesthouses and hostels on each floor. And the hall on the first floor is strewn with small shops, cafes, exchangers, and, well, barkers of all trades. Don't try to talk to them, just go about your business.

The rooms here are usually small, very small. We chose from all the guesthouses, the room was clean, quite decent. Knowing that the rooms are small, we chose a room for three in advance, although we did not plan to be in a room for three. But, there is a point that applies to many guest houses, not only this, if you book a room for one, and you arrive together, you may be asked to pay extra for the second, despite the fact that this is the same room.

But the location of Chungking Mansion is simply excellent: firstly, it is near the embankment from where you can see the Hong Kong Island, it is from here that you can see the skyscrapers both day and night. The view from the waterfront of Hong Kong Island to Kowloon is not so beautiful, since the bulk of the skyscrapers are located on it, and the jungle on the mountain adjacent to the back just perfectly complements the view. All this can be seen from Kowloon, and it is also convenient to watch the evening laser show "Symphony of Lights" here.

Although .. a few words about the show. Probably it is technically difficult, and this light and music show was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world. The use of bright lighting, laser beams and spotlights reflects the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong, it involves more than 40 buildings, but, in principle, you will not see something very special directly: green laser beams and floating pictures on some of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island . Therefore, in fact, I don’t know what can be seen from Hong Kong Island itself with a view of Kowloon. Show free, starts at 20.00 every evening and goes for 15 minutes.

Also close to Chungking Mansion, 10 minutes walk and Avenue of Stars. True, now it is under reconstruction and the prints of the stars were taken out just not far from the embankment on the site. But, perhaps, the reconstruction by the time of reading has already ended. You can also get here by direct bus A21 from the airport if you decide to go to the city during a transfer in Hong Kong.

More convenient location: there are a lot of cafes and restaurants on the streets near Chungking Mansion, and right next to the exit from the mansion there is an excellent cafe on the second floor of the shopping center with very affordable prices and quite decent food. By the way, the dishes change all day long (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and every day the menu set also changes.

To find a cafe, you need to exit Chunking Mansion, turn right literally two steps and go up the escalator to the third floor of the Cke Shopping Mall, where the sign of the cafe will hang on the right.

The following amenities accommodation at Chungking Mansion - very close to the ferry pier Star Ferry, from where you can get to Hong Kong Island, the price is one way only 2.50 HKD on weekdays and 3.40 HKD on weekends and holidays. They go every 10-15 minutes. But pay attention to the Star Ferry pier, two ferries depart in different directions.

If you have an Octopus card, go right away, if not, then buy a token from the machine on the side. Ferries run from 6:30 to 23:30.

Also, on Kowloon, a little further than the Star Ferry ferries from the China Ferry Terminal pier, from where ferries to Macau — Turbojet(price from 164 hkd there and 154 HKD back) and Cotai Water Jet, they say in travel agencies you can buy ferry tickets a little cheaper. Check if it is. 🙂 Ferry opening hours: from 7.00 to 24.00.

But ferries also run to Macau from the pier on Hong Kong Island: Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and from the airport: SkyPier, their location is very easy to find on Google by typing the name.

And in Macau itself there is also more than one berth, this is Macau Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal and Taipa Ferry Terminal on Taipa Island, so carefully look at the schedule where you sail and from where.

Cheap tickets to Hong Kong convenient to search. Enter your city and click on specific dates or the cheapest month. When found, I advise you to check, sometimes the same tickets are cheaper, but more often the other way around.

If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments to the post.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Catholic Christmas, Orthodox Christmas, the traditional New Year, and Chinese are celebrated here with pleasure. True, confusion sometimes arises, because the traditions of one part of the world are superimposed on the traditions and understanding of another. Hong Kong has an incredible mix of cultural traditions.

European New Year and Christmas

The European New Year and Christmas are celebrated here by not a very large group of people, although the city dresses up especially for tourists. In general, the locals never mind celebrating something. In Russia, the symbol of Christmas and New Year is snow, decorated Christmas tree and gifts. An English tradition has also taken root here - decorating houses with holly, a beautiful green plant with bright red berries, which is invariably associated with the holiday. Most still celebrate Christmas on December 25, since the influence of Catholicism here turned out to be much stronger than Orthodoxy. However, if you want to celebrate Christmas on January 7, no one will be against it.

Hong Kong is currently 10% Christian. They are preparing for Christmas, many specially grow Christmas trees for this holiday. Charity is also widespread here: organized groups visit shelters, nursing homes, give gifts to the poor, collect parcels for prisons.

The New Year itself is celebrated in a fairly standard way: walks around the festively cleaned center, in the evening - the obligatory fireworks. However, since the latter has become something of a national art form here.

In the last days of December and in the first days of January, cafes, museums and restaurants will be waiting for tourists.

Among the restaurants, Jumbo is considered the most famous. Built in 1976. This is one of the largest floating restaurants in the world, a three-story ship. It serves Cantonese and fusion food.

Chinese New Year

It is celebrated on a huge scale and with almost unhealthy enthusiasm. Offices and houses are sparkling clean, parents give their children money in red envelopes, and you can see a huge number of people on the streets. Not a lot of people, but a lot! Fireworks simply amazes even those who have already seen enough of such spectacles.

If you dream of crazy shopping in this city, then Chinese New Year is a great time for those who are not afraid of crazy crowds. Stores arrange mass sales and delight customers with incredible discounts. Hong Kong is also hung with lanterns, artificial peach trees are everywhere, which in the East are associated with the holiday, as in Russia - a Christmas tree. Another equally popular attribute is the tangerine tree.

The city also arranges an incredibly beautiful parade, a huge festive procession.

Guides do not advise choosing black or white clothes for trips, it is associated with sadness and mourning.

Birthday of Goddess Tin Hau

The birthday of the goddess Tin Hau is a special holiday. We are talking about a deity who patronizes fishermen and people associated with the sea. Hong Kong, located on several hundred islands, which is directly dependent on the sea, is reverent about this date.

In Hong Kong, 300 temples are dedicated to the goddess.

On this day, festive prayers and services are held in her honor. People arrange festive ritual processions and bring offerings to the temples, mainly flowers, beautiful shells and rare dishes, such as fried pork. Not without processions and fireworks.

In honor of the goddess, many sailors decorate their boats and yachts.

Bun Feast

Another unique event is the holiday of buns. Day of gratitude of local residents to the deities for the end of the terrible plague epidemic. However, some historians specify that the locals fled from the typhoon and pirates, in any case, after those events, it was decided that the deities demanded to thank them more often for safety. As a result, this unusual holiday appeared.

The holiday goes like this: high towers are built in stadiums, on which imitation buns are placed. Teams of athletes compete with each other in who will collect the most buns with special numbers and who exactly will get the most important, located at the very top - a bun.

After the exact winner is determined, spectators are given imitations of buns, which they can exchange for real ones made from rice dough. All this takes place in a festive atmosphere, with cheerful music.

Hong Kong Food Festival in March

The culinary basis in Hong Kong is Chinese, or rather, Cantonese cuisine. True, under the influence of Western traditions, it has become a little more civilized. So, today they no longer serve a cat, and there are fewer other exotics.

You can try amazing dim sum anywhere. It is a filling of chicken, shrimp, sometimes pork or fish, which is wrapped in a dough made from starch. All this is steamed until fully cooked, and the dough is translucent.

Hong Kong boasts several Michelin-starred establishments, one of which has been awarded to a chain establishment! In some places in the queue you need to stand from 30 minutes, which is their only drawback.

Hong Kong is called the culinary capital of the world, it is definitely worth coming here for the Gastronomic Festival. During this festive event, you can get acquainted not only with local chefs, but also with the best specialists from Japan, Thailand and many other countries who go to compete and demonstrate their skills.

Duanwujie or Dragon Boat Festival

The history of this holiday goes back to the life story of a court poet who died as a result of a dragon.

Since the deceased was a patriot who did a lot to improve the lives of the Chinese, after his death, the inhabitants decided to help his spirit calm down. They began to swim in boats, scaring away the dragon, which obviously tormented the poet. Since no one knew in which particular body of water the tragedy happened, people began to do this almost all over China.

Over time, it became a tradition to gather every year on the 5th day of the 5th month and sail on boats with the image of a dragon's face to scare away the evil spirit.

Gradually, the subtext of what was happening faded away, and the holiday acquired the sign of an event associated with fun on the water and competitions between different teams.

Tam Kun's birthday

Tam Kong is a deity associated with Taoism, which is able to influence the weather, can both save from typhoons and hurricanes.

In honor of him, there are many temples in Hong Kong, and a holiday dedicated to the deity takes place every day at the very beginning of May.

Everything is celebrated quite standardly: incense and prayers in temples, sacrifices, processions and, of course, fireworks. The holiday is celebrated only in Hong Kong.

mid autumn festival

One of the brightest holidays in Hong Kong, which is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, so there is no exact date. Usually falls in September or October.

At this time, it is customary to give moon gingerbread to relatives and friends.. In addition, the streets are decorated with illuminated lanterns and entire luminous installations, and performances by artists are arranged in parks.

It is considered one of the most colorful holidays in Hong Kong.

Total

Every holiday in Hong Kong is a traditional worship of deities in temples, incense, gifts to relatives, a festive procession (with or without a dragon), fireworks and, of course, red lanterns, as well as smiles and good mood. But the biggest one is the Chinese New Year.