Hong Kong should make the 25th day of the second month of the lunar calendar a holiday to mark the birth of Taoism, the city's Taoist Association said yesterday.
Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing said the government would cautiously consider the suggestion.
The date marks the traditional birthday of Lao-tzu, the philosopher whose writings gave rise to Taoism in China about 2,500 years ago.
The chairman of the Hong Kong Taoist Association, Tong Wai-ki, said the government should mark the date as one of Hong Kong's public holidays.
'Worshipping ancestors and burning incense are rituals of Taoism. Taoism has the most number of followers in Hong Kong among all the religions,' he said.
The association estimated that about 1.2 million people in the city adhered to the tenets of the belief.