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City Weekend
Hong KongSociety

Why Hong Kong’s festivals are not to be missed – from dragon boats to hungry ghosts

The city is gearing up for an onslaught of celebrations indigenous to Hong Kong, starting with Tin Hau’s birthday this month

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A Tin Hau Festival parade in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong
Hana Davis
Under Hong Kong’s omnipresent blanket of humidity is a swirling profusion of culture and festivals. Some of these celebrations, such as Easter or Christmas, are adopted from foreign influences, while others, like the Lunar New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival, are embraced as part of a broader Chinese tradition and narrative. Amid all this celebration there are a handful of festivals and events unique to this tiny corner of the world.

As we move into May, the city will see an onslaught of celebrations indigenous to the city, the earliest of which, will be Tin Hau’s birthday on May 8. This week City Weekend explores the celebrations that Hong Kong breathes life into – from annual traditions deeply rooted in history, to more recent customs. While the following festivities are not all restrained by the city’s borders, they are all observed in a uniquely Hong Kong manner.

A dressed-up child takes part in the annual Piu Sik Parade on Cheung Chau. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
A dressed-up child takes part in the annual Piu Sik Parade on Cheung Chau. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
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Cheung Chau Bun Festival

In the fourth lunar month, thousands descend upon Cheung Chau as the island’s residents get busy with a Taoist “Da Jiu” sacrificial ceremony known as the “Cheung Chau Bun Festival”. The tale behind the festival lies in a plague that devastated the island in the late Qing dynasty. At the time, the islanders built an altar in front of the Pak Tai Temple – employing the deity to drive away the evil spirits that plagued the island.

The weeklong celebration begins this year on May 19, with the making of papier-mache statuettes of deities and the sewing of costumes. In the Piu Sik Parade, children dressed as traditional deities balance on poles, as drum beats and lion dancers swirl about them.

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