FESTIVALS & EVENTS Hong Kong is well known for the lively and colorful Chinese influenced festivals throughout the year. You will not be disappointed during your stay in Hong Kong as not a month goes by in this energetic city without some major event or festival taking place, which has earned Hong Kong an excellent reputation as the "Events Capital of Asia". JANUARY/FEBRUARY International Lion Dance Tournament – The largest Lion Dance tournament in Asia with teams from worldwide. Birthday of Che Kung - Che Kung, now worshipped as a God, was a Sung Dynasty General who is believed to have saved the ancient Sha Tin valley population from the plague. The Hong Kong Marathon - Both local and foreign participants are welcome. Telephone the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association on +852 2577 0800 for details. Chinese New Year (late January/early February) - The Chinese Lunar New Year is the most important of all the Chinese festivals and causes Hong Kong to come to a virtual standstill for 3 days a year! Almost all businesses and shops close down as the local Chinese community indulge in large family celebrations, exchanging gifts, buying new clothes, presenting red envelopes filled with "lai see" ("lucky money") to children and unmarried adults, feasting, and wishing one another "Kung Hei Fat Choy". Practically the entire population descend upon Buddhist temples to make offerings and pray. The city is adorned with bright lights and decorations, and a festive firework display takes place over Victoria Harbour. MARCH/APRIL Birthday of Koon Yam - Koon Yam is the popular Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The dates of her enlightenment and death are also commemorated. Ching Ming Festival - Ching Ming means "Remembrance of Ancestors Day" and is an important holiday for the Chinese. On this day, families visit the graves of their ancestors, sweeping them and re-painting the inscriptions as a mark of respect. They also burn incense, light candles, make offerings of food and drink, including rice and wine, and burn paper clothing and spirit money. Traffic can be very heavy on this day, so delays whilst travelling around are to be expected. MAY/JUNE Birthday of Lord Buddha - Celebrations are held in Buddhist temples throughout Hong Kong where worshippers bathe statues of the Buddha as a mark of their devotion. The world's largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha, which is about 26 meters high (not including it's stand), and weighs more than 200 tons, is located at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island and is a popular site on this day. Birthday of Tin Hau - Tin Hau is the Goddess of the Sea and a much loved figure in Hong Kong, due to the area's maritime history. Fishermen decorate their boats with brightly colored banners and shrines to honor her, and sail to her temples at Joss House Bay and Po Toi Island to celebrate and pray for good catches for the following year. Special ferries are organized by the Hong Kong and Yaumatei Ferry Company so visitors may join in the festivities. A parade also takes place, in Yuen Long in the New Territories. Tuen Ng Festival - The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as "Tuen Ng", is renowned as one of Hong Kong's liveliest and most entertaining events, with thrilling races taking place on many different days. The festival is held in commemoration of the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese national hero. He drowned himself in the Mi Lo River in the third century BC, as a protest against the government. Birthday of Kwan Tai - Kwan Tai is the God of War and Literature and the patron God of the police, pawnshops, restaurants and many businesses. A statue dedicated to him stands in the attractive Man Mo Temple on Hong Kong Island, in front of which there is an ever burning lamp. Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival Races - Organized by the Hong Kong Tourist Association, as it has been since the first race in 1976, these spectacularly exciting events takes place at Taipo, Aberdeen and various other places throughout Hong Kong, with the International races being held on the Shing Mun River, Sha Tin. For more detailed information and exact dates contact the HKTA on +852 2807 6341. JULY/AUGUST International Arts Carnival & International Children's Arts Festival – These events will take place at a number of venues throughout the territory, with varying admission costs. For further information regarding the Arts Carnival telephone the Provisional Urban Council on +852 2734 2900, and for the Children's festival contact the Provisional Regional Council on +852 2601 8703. Birthday of Hau Wong - Hau Wong was the bodyguard of an eight-year old emperor who was honored for his loyalty and courage. A temple dedicated to his memory was constructed in 1731 in Kowloon City. Enlightenment of Koon Yam - On the day of Koon Yam's enlightenment boat people hold a God's birthday celebration for her. Maidens (Seven Sisters) Festival - This is a celebration for young lovers and girls, dating back to an ancient Chinese legend about the youngest of the seven daughters of the Jade Emperor. According to folklore, she married a cowherd but was ordered to Heaven to weave robes for the Gods and was only permitted to return to earth to visit her husband once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh moon. Unmarried young women make offerings of fruit to the lovers and burn joss sticks in the open air, enter needlework competitions, and pray for a good husband. Hungry Ghosts Festival - This festival is also known as Yeun Laan, and is a time when food is set out to placate 'hungry ghosts' who have temporarily been released from the underworld, and are free to roam wherever they please. They are offered the type of gifts that are commonly given to Gods and ancestors, food, incense, paper clothing and spirit money, and entertained with elaborate operas. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER Horseracing Season starts - Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses open for business. Mid Autumn Festival - This is another very important date in the Chinese calendar and is celebrated throughout the Territories by families gathering in public parks an open spaces with beautifully decorated lanterns, in a variety of shapes, ablaze with light and color. Victoria Peak is a popular venue on this night. Part of the celebrations revolve around the story of an uprising against the Mongols, when rebels smuggled instructions to their compatriots by hiding them in cakes. Today, special 'Moon Cakes' are eaten during the festivities. Cheun Yeung Festival - This is another family celebration, during which ancestors are honored, special offerings are set out on family shrines and a family dinner takes place. General holidays for 2006 are listed as followings: Every Sunday Sunday The day following the first day of January 2 Jan Monday The day preceding Lunar New Year's Day 28 Jan Saturday The second day of the Lunar New Year 30 Jan Monday The third day of the Lunar New Year 31 Jan Tuesday Ching Ming Festival 5 Apr Wednesday Good Friday 14Apr Friday The day following Good Friday 15 Apr Saturday Easter Monday 17 Apr Monday Labour Day 1 May Monday The Buddha's Birthday 5 May Friday Tuen Ng Festival 31 May Wednesday Hong Kong S. A. R. Establishment Day 1 July Saturday The day following National Day 2 Oct Monday The day following Mid-Autumn Festival 7 Oct Saturday Chung Yeung Festival 30 Oct Monday Christmas Day 25 Dec Monday The first weekday after Christmas Day 26 Dec Tuesday