Hong Kong Festivals and Events in Hong Kong
 Festivals
add events more color and exuberance to Hong Kong's lively streets. Quite
simply, being in Hong Kong during a major Chinese festival is the experience
of a lifetime. Festivals occur throughout the year, so you may be lucky
enough to see one during your visit. In addition, there are many special
events throughout the year. Here are some of the highlights.
On the birthday of Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea, fishermen decorate
their boats and gather at her temples to pray for good catches during
the coming year. Beyond the traditional rites at the temple, parades with
colorful floats and lion dances take place. There is an organized tour
to see the celebrations and visit a century old Tin Hau Temple.
Celebrated on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month every year, the Bun
Festival is one of Hong Kong's most colorful festivals and an important
event for all Cheung Chau Island resident. It is Pak Tai, a Taoist deity
known as King of the Underworld, to whom boat people, fishermen and island
residents pray for protection against evil spirits.
Giant Bun Towers, each measures 16 meters tall, covered with layers of
pink-and-white lotus paste buns, will be greeted outside the Pak Tai Temple
in honor of the deity. A parade of dragon dances, lion dances, unicorn
dances and acrobats will wind through the grand stand and the narrow streets
on the island.
The stars of the parade are youngsters who dress in costumes with heavy
make-up and are tied to an intricate system of rods and wires and float
above the heads of the crowd. To experience the island life and the Bun
Festival celebrations, a special tour is designed to enable visitors to
visit the two most popular outlying islands of Lamma Island and Cheung
Chau Island.
One of Hong Kong's most exciting festivals, the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates
the death of a Chinese hero Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in protest against
a corrupt government in the 3rd century B.C. Legend says that in their
attempt to rescue him, townspeople beat drums and threw dumplings into
the sea to keep the fish away from Qu Yuan's body.
Today, to symbolize the rescue attempts, people eat dumplings, swim in
the river and teams race elaborately decorated dragon boats to the beat
of pounding drums and the roar of the crowds. Check out the venues of
the dragon boat races held along the coastal areas of Hong Kong.
It is said that ghosts roam the world every year for a lunar month. Local
festivals feature elaborate parades with food offerings and small roadside
fires, where believers burn paper money to appease the restless spirits.
The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the harvest moon and is a special time
for children and families, who take colorful lanterns to parks, beaches
and hilltops to gaze at the moon. The Fire Dragon dance is an important
celebration. 
The celebrations of the Chinese New Year offer a fascinating look into
traditional Chinese culture. From a spectacular parade to traditional
flower markets, the Chinese New Year celebration is one you'll never forget.
Held on the 15th day of the lunar new year, this festival marks the end
of the Chinese New Year celebrations. colorful lanterns in traditional
designs decorate market stalls, homes, restaurants and temples.
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