The Chinese FestivalsSponsored by
The Chinese Festivals occur throughout the Lunar year. As our calendar year and the Lunar year is different, the festivals fall on different dates each year. Each festival is rich on tradition, excitement and participation. The fast pace of Hong Kong slows as the city celebrates in spectacular bright lights and decoration. Festivals are a very important part of Chinese tradition. The particular festivals discussed here are of special interest to the young and knowing a bit more about them will help you enjoy and to participate in these magic celebrations.
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is the most important of all the festivals. It is a time of centuries old tradition. The date of the New Year falls somewhere between late January and late February, depending on the Lunar (moon) calendar. A few weeks before, homes are cleaned thoroughly in preparation for the holiday. Tangerine plants, flower displays, Chinese paintings and calligraphy are sold to eager buyers. Hong Kong is laden with brightly coloured decorations, stores are packed with shoppers. The Chinese New Year is a time of settling all debts and spreading good intentions to family and friends.
The eve of the New Year is a special time for family and friends. All preparations have been made, including prayer and homage to "Tso Kwan", who returns to heaven to report on the behaviour of the humans for the year. "Tso Kwan" means "Stove Master" and he is the kitchen god of China.
The actual New Year day is spent with close friends and relatives, worshipping ancestors and gods. New clothes and new shoes are worn to symbolize the New Year and red packet containing small amounts of money are exchanged. The second day of the New Year is spent with relatives welcoming the beginning of the year. Next is "Kai Nien" or "Squabble Day" on the third day of the festival. It is called this name because it is believed that if you argue on this day, you will have many arguments during the coming year. The fourth day of the New Year is a day of welcoming back the kitchen god from his tiring trip to heaven. A new picture is hung in the kitchen.
People honour the "God of Wealth", hoping he will bring great fortune to the family in the coming months. The seventh day of the New Year is "All Person's Day", a day devoted to the celebration of the birth of every person.
On the fifteenth day of the New Year, a spectacular three day festival of lanterns begins. Lanterns bearing the symbols of good fortune, happiness and health are purchased and hung in homes. At the end of the lantern festival, the New Year festivities are over and life in Hong Kong settles back to its normal pace. Throughout the New Year period, "Lion" dances are performed all over Hong Kong and Kowloon. The "Lion" is a huge, multi coloured paper-mache head with a long multi colored train. Two people are inside the head moving the giant puppet with precision and ease from the background drum beat. The lion will move through every emotion, from happiness and gaiety to the deepest sorrow. It takes years of practice to become a professional lion dancer as it requires coordination and skill to "dance the lion". You will hear exploding fire crackers throughout the charged and spectacular celebration.
Ching Ming
The Ching Ming festival is celebrated in April and is known as "Remembrance of Ancestors Day". This day is devoted to honouring relatives who died. Thousands of Chinese visit cemeteries to clean the graves of their loved ones. The Chinese hold great respect for their ancestors and the young are taught to pray to, and for, the family spirits. Young people accompany their parents to the gravesite and help in the cleaning process. The "willow" is regarded as the symbol of light and enemy of darkness in Chinese culture. On Ching Ming, willow twigs and branches are hung in doorways to ward off the evil spirits. It is believed that if you don't hang the willow, you will appear as yellow dog in your next life!
Tin Hau (T'ien Hou)
The Tin Hau festival is celebrated on the 23rd day of the Third Moon (late April, early May). The day is set aside to honour a young girl named Mo Niang. She was re-named Tin Hau, the "Queen of Heaven", and is the "Mother" of boat people and sailors.
Tin Hau was born in Fukien in the year 1093. Legend tells a story that she bid her father and brothers farewell as they went off fishing. She went to sleep and had a dream they were drowning. She flew over the waters on clouds and rescued her family just as they were about to drown.
Tin Hau is also said to have been able to predict storms and sea traveller's fortunes. She died at the age of twenty and received her title shortly afterwards.
There are numerous shrines and temples dedicated to her spirit. On her birthday, the boat people, sailors and those who live on the waterfront, sail to Da Miao (the Great Temple) in Joss HoUse Bay and pay their respects to the goddess, praying for safety in the coming year.
Birthday of Buddha
Lord Buddha's birthday is another springtime festival. It is observed on the eighth day of the Fourth Moon. Legend has it that at the moment of Buddha's birth, nine dragons spat on the water. Buddha is the sacred name given to a man called Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of the Buddhist religion. He is called Buddha by his followers, which means "The Enlightened One".
Buddha lived about 2,500 years ago. Although the facts of his life are scarce, his followers recorded his teachings. He believed in the search for one's self. The Four Noble Truths are the core of his teachings. First is the noble truth of unhappyness in life, then the truth of the cause of unhappyness, and the noble truth of the way to stop unhappyness, and finally, the noble truth of that which leads to the end of unhappyness. Compassion is the significant base of Buddhist life.
There are many Buddhists in Hong Kong and many temples and shrines. On the birthday of Buddha, also called the Festival of Ten Thousand Buddhas, his religious followers pray for the washing away of sin and the attainment of wisdom and peace.
Cheng Chau Festival (Festival of the Bun Hills)
The Cheung Chau Festival begins on the eighth day of the Fourth Moon and lasts for four days. It is one of the most unusual and dangerous of all Chinese festivals. Four days of religious rites, Chinese operas and the burning of paper clothing as gifts, is supposed to make ghosts and edgy spirits happy. Hong Kong takes on a party like atmosphere, with processions and celebrations at every turn.
Huge structures towering in the sky have been built and covered to the top with bread buns. In the past, a signal was given and the young scrambled up the towers, picking as many buns as they could hold. It is believed the more buns you grabbed, the more good luck blessings you received. The date and time of this unique ceremony are announced a week before.
The processions and parades held during this time are spectacles of colour. People dress up as legendary figures, ride on flowered floats and walk on stilts. The young play a major role in the processions with children perched above the crowd in makeup and costumes. They almost seem suspended in air.
Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat) Festival
Dragon Boat Festival is an exciting event in Hong Kong. It is held on the fifth day of the Fifth Moon, usually in June. The day is set aside to honour the death of Wut Yuan, the famous Chinese port and patriot.
Chu Yuan was a high court official of the State of Chu in the period of the warring states. Wut Yuan wrote beautiful and passionate poems for his country, against the evil officials.
Eventually, he became disillusioned and he took his own life by drowning himself in the Milo River. People were so upset by the loss of Wut Yuan, they took to boats and beat the water with paddles to stop the fish from eating his body. They also threw rice dumplings into the water to tempt the fish away from their hero.
Today, the Dragon Boat races commemorate Wut Yuan's death. The boats, ranging in length from 45 to 120 feet long, are decorated with colourful pennants and a fierce head of a dragon at the front of the boat, driving it on to victory. The dragons are searching the water for Wut Yuan's body, symbolically, of course.
Dragon Boat races are held at Yaumati Typhoon Shelter, Aberdeen, Shaukiwan and Stanley Beach. Many local companies sponsor dragon boat teams. Practice and precision are needed to become part of a team. Picnics and festivities on the beaches, as well as the excitement of the races, make this a day not to be missed.
Mid Autumn Festival
This festival is held on the fifteenth day of the Eight Moon and its popularity and participation for the young is second to the New Year Festival.
During the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Chinese leaders took up the practice of watching the moon. This day is set aside just for this purpose. People travel to high places to make sure they have a good view of the moon. Traditionally, children carried lanterns of animal shapes lit by candles.
Now, the lanterns are found in every shape and material imaginable. Dogs, cats, airplanes, yachts, speedboats, pictures of gods, sharks and assorted fish lanterns are sold at very reasonable prices at the Chinese Emporium, all Chinese department stores and in market stalls.
As darkness approaches, the hills of Hong Kong, Victoria Park, the Peak, and the beaches are shimmering with the glow of lantern lights. It seems as though a sprinkling of stars have descended on Hong Kong. This night is an event no one under the age of 100 should miss. It is an evening for children of all ages.
"Mooncakes" are also an important part of the festivities. Many years ago in the 14th Century, a revolt against the Mongols developed, and messages of the revolution were written on paper, then baked into the cakes. The secret messages were smuggled to the revolutionists. Things are much tamer now, and the mooncakes are given to friends and relatives during the festival. These pastries are a mixture of ground lotus,mashed beans, sesame seeds and dates.
Lantern festival is a magic time for the young as they carry their lamps lighting the way for adults to pay their respects to the moon. It is a Chinese festival in which children of all nationalities take part.
Useful and Interesting Information
Abacus - An abacus is a calculator, rectangular in shape. It has an outside frame with sliding beads strung on thirteen wires or wooden slats. The abacus was used widely before the nine plus "O" counting method was adopted. The Chinese have used it for hundreds of years and still use it today. You will see it used in some Chinese shops. It can somewhat confusing for the observer as the seasoned user quickly slides the beads back and forth, doing the calculation quickly on the abacus. An abacus can be purchased very inexpensively at any Chinese department store complete with an instruction booklet which shows you how to use this ancient calculator.
Acupuncture - Acupuncture is the centuries old Chinese method of piercing the body with needles to relieve aches and pains. Chinese legend holds that over 5,000 years ago a soldier was struck with an arrow. He felt a numbing sensation in a different part of his body. The Chinese tell that from this incident came the art of acupuncture. This method treats malaria, high blood pressure, appendicitis and, acupuncture is also used as anaesthesia. The acupuncturist is trained to insert needles painlessly into certain points of the body. The needles are placed in very specific points, depending on the sickness being treated. The instruments and rubber dolls, complete with the proper "points" outlined in colour, are sold in Hong Kong. It takes great skill and years of training to become an acupuncturist.
Beijing - Beijing is the official Chinese Mandarin name for the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China, Peking.
Buddha - Buddha refers to Prince Siddhartha Guatama, an Indian prince who lived more than 2,500 years ago. After years of study and contemplation, Siddhartha founded the Buddhist religion, based on the "Eightfold Path". Buddha means "The Enlightened One", and by following the teachings of Buddha a person may overcome the craving of earthly pleasures and become enlightened. These paths include the understanding of the Four Noble Truths, correct thoughts, correct speech, proper actions, the right work and efforts, the right state of mind and the ability to concentrate. Buddhism has remained a simple and democratic religion through the centuries. This may explain how quickly it was accepted by the working people of Asia. There are numerous Buddhist places of worship in Hong Kong and Lord Buddha's birthday is a very important celebration for the Chinese.
Cantonese - Cantonese is a "spoken" language called a dialect. It is based on a tone approach to speech, and there are up to ten tones in this language which is spoken by millions of Chinese. The official language of China is called Mandarin but most of the residents of Hong Kong speak Cantonese.
Chinese Food - Chinese food tastes very good and is also nutritious. The food is prepared with great care and cooked quickly so as not to lose its vitamin content. Vegetables are finely chopped or diced and because of the quick cooking, retain their fresh taste and garden colours. Spices and sauces such as soy, oyster, sesame and aniseed are used freely in Chinese cooking. The Chinese do not waste anything. Every stalk and bone is used for some tasty dish. Different provinces reflect their eating habits by the particular spicy, bland or colourful food they prepare. Hong Kong is an excellent place to try all types of Chinese food, including sharks fin soup, snake meat and sea slugs!
Chopsticks - The Chinese eat their food with chopsticks. Chopsticks are a pair of slender sticks made of wood, ivory, bamboo or plastic. It does not take long to learn to use chopsticks, just patience. Trial and error is the best method of mastering the sticks.
Dragon - The dragon is a mythical monster in fairy tales and legends. For a long time the dragon stood for evil. Tales of serpent monsters roaming the earth devouring everything in their paths have been recorded for centuries. However, the Chinese adopted the dragon as a symbol of nobility. Until 1912, the dragon was the national emblem of China. Many Chinese consider the dragon a god, one to be worshipped. Therefore, dragons appear in every area of Chinese culture. They decorate colourful lanterns at festival time, shop fronts at Chinese New Year and are delicately embroidered on silk clothing and wall hangings. The dragon has always played a major role in Chinese literature. Children's books are full of the legendary appearances of dragons and, frequently the dragon is found helping a poor or unfortunate victim overcome his enemies. During Dragon Boat Festival, giant heads of the serpent, decorated with fierce markings are painted on the front of the boat, helping the crew to victory. Dragons have always played a busy role in the life of the Chinese people.
Dynasty - A dynasty is a group of rulers from the same family who succeed one another in power. This group usually has great wealth and power for several generations. China is the home of great dynasties, dating back centuries. This form of rule in China ended with the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty in 1912.
Eggs - "100 year old eggs", is a term referring to aged eggs, by no means 100 years old! The eggs sold in the markets and restaurants are usually a few days old. They are duck eggs which are soaked for a few days in a solution of tea leaves, lime, soda and rock salt. These eggs are eaten with ginger and are considered a delicacy among the Chinese.
Ferries - Ferries are a vital part of Hong Kong life. Hong Kong, being an island, is separated from Kowloon by the famous harbour. The boat ferries provide cheap, efficient transportation for the millions of daily travellers to and from Hong Kong and the neighbouring islands. The most famous is the Star Ferry which runs between Hong Kong, Star Ferry Pier and Ocean Terminal, Kowloon side. Thousands of people take the quick ride to avoid the horrific Hong Kong traffic.
Fung Shui - "Fung Shui", translated as, the influences of wind and water, is the Chinese science of "reading" nature in order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. By the twelfth century, fung shui played an important role in all aspects of Chinese life, from birth till death. A compass with a magnetic centre and seasonal markings is used by an accomplished fung shui artist to choose the site of a person's new home or burial place. This is done to avoid offending demons, invisible ones of course, who inhabit the earth. Offending nature will cause great ills to fall upon you and your descendants, according to Chinese belief. Now, this practice is most popularly applied to graves. If a grave is placed in the wrong area or facing in the wrong direction, ill fortune will follow the family members of the deceased. A fung shui specialist is often called to a building site to assure the builder of the correct direction of the structure.
Gwai-lo-(female, gwai-paw) - This is the name given to Caucasian men by the Chinese. The term means "Foreign Devil" in Chinese. In years past, gwai-lo was considered an unpleasant name to call someone, but it is now an accepted word without causing bad feelings.
Ginseng - Ginseng is a plant from China. It has an aromatic root which is used in medicine by the Chinese. The Chinese believe it cures many ills. A favourite way of staying healthy is to drink ginseng tea.
Harbour - Hong Kong has one of the finest natural harbours in the world. It can be approached from east to west and with its depth of 28 - 36 ft., ships of almost any size can enter the harbour with ease. The harbour is one of the most important elements of Hong Kong's success. The early and still thriving economy of Hong Kong was based on mercantile shipping. The perfect harbour provided this base. There are over 2,200 junks and lighters to load and unload cargo from the massive freighters. Scurrying among the ships are the ferries, taking people to and from Hong Kong, Kowloon and the over-islands. The harbour is often called one of the wonders of the world.
Incense - Incense is a substance which produces a sweet aroma when burned. The Chinese use it during most festivals and burn it in honour of the gods and in memory of deceased family members and, for good luck.
Jade - Jade, the green stone, is sold everywhere in Hong Kong. From bangle bracelets and images of Buddha, costing only a few dollars, to expensive carved dragons, jade is a popular item to the Chinese and visitors alike. The inexpensive articles are not jade, but are soapstone. Real jade is expensive and sold in quality shops. The emperors of China held jade in great esteem and adorned their homes, places of worship and themselves with it. Jade is still considered a precious stone by the Chinese and all types and qualities can be found in Hong Kong.
Junk - A junk is a Chinese sailing vessel. They are easily recognized by their bamboo sails and flat fronts. The Chinese have been using junks for centuries and little has changed in the original design. Marco Polo wrote of the Chinese junk in his log, and commented on the clever Chinese who had invented the first ships to have watertight compartments. He saw one junk with thirteen compartments and the fisherman explained to him that if water came into on compartment, they would seal that compartment off, thus cutting the leak and saving the boat. A junk usually has three sails made from sewing strips of light bamboo into straw. There is a foresail, a mainsail and in the stern, a mizzen sail.
Kites - Kites are, and always have been, an intricate part of Chinese culture. It takes many years to become a master kitemaker, although most Chinese boys and girls learn to make their own kites at an early age. Traditionally, kites appear mostly at festival times, especially in the late autumn at the Festival of Climbing the Heights. On this night, people take their beautiful kites to high places and fly them into the night when they attach small lanterns to the kites. These glowing spectacles rise high into the night and the owners try to knock each others kites out of the air. The kites are quite complicated to make, but turn into lovely butterflies, birds, flowers and animals. Kites can be purchased very inexpensively in most stores in Hong Kong.
Kung Hei Fat Choy - Kung Hei Fat Choy is the translated expression for "Happy New Year". During the Chinese New Year, you will hear it repeated by one and all and see it written on colourful banners on shops, banks and - well, everything!
Lanterns - Lanterns have been part of Chinese life for centuries. Chinese emperors had lanterns hanging in their gardens, on boats, in their homes and temples. This tradition continues to the present day. The colourful lamps appear throughout the Chinese year, especially at festival times. At the end of the Chinese New Year celebration, on the fifteenth day of the first moon, the Festival of Lanterns takes place. Silk, paper and plastic lanterns in round, square and various other shapes are paraded through the streets and hills of Hong Kong. Lanterns on wheels, animals, birds, flowers, boats, every shape imaginable appear in shops and department stores. In the autumn, another festival of light is held and the beaches and hilltops are aglow with soft light. The lanterns are very inexpensive to buy and apart from the actual use of lighting them, they make beautiful decorations.
Lion Dance - A lion dance is performed at most Chinese festivals. The beating of drums is the background music for the fearsome dancers. Two people wear a colourful paper-mache lion head and with coordination and skill they move through the motions, expressing the feelings of the lion at the time. The lion may be bashful, playful or even angry and the steps of the performers convey this to the audience. The dance of the lion has been performed for centuries in China.
Mahjong - Mahjong is an ancient Chinese board game played with plastic or ivory tiles. Each player receives thirteen pieces and when play starts a great clattering is heard from the shifting of the tiles on the board. Mahjong is one of the most popular pastimes of the Chinese. The tiles can be heard smashing long into the night.
New Year - The Chinese celebrate their New Year according to the Lunar calendar. This is the most important of festivals. The New Year is a time for house cleaning and the settling of all debts. Family and friends gather for the festivities which include firecrackers, elaborate food, the exchange of money in small red packets and the honouring of various gods. Most shops are closed for a few days during the New Year.
Paper Cutting - Paper was invented by the Chinese during the Han dynasty, (207 BC - 220 AD), and historians believe the art of paper cutting may have started about this time. For centuries, Chinese girls have learned this art as a natural part of their girlhood education. The paper cuts were used to decorate the somewhat drab homes of the time. Thin paper is used and the subject matter is varied. Fierce dragons, gentle flowers, young maidens, birds and the gods are among the topics cut, always symbolizing good fortune and luck. Paper cuts are very inexpensive and can be purchased at any of the Chinese department stores and shops in Hong Kong.
Rickshaw - A rickshaw is a wooden seat balanced on two wheels and pulled by the strength of one man. The rickshaw is quickly disappearing in Hong Kong. It seems unbelievable that in days past, the rickshaw was a useful means of transport. People were pulled up to the peak and all around the island, in every type of weather. Now, the drivers wait for tourists at the Star Ferry Pier as this mode of transportation is long out of date.
Silk - Silk, the luxurious cloth, was discovered, or invented by the Chinese. Many centuries ago, there lived an emperor named Huang Ti, called "The Yellow Emperor". His wife, Empress Lei- Tsu, discovered that by unwinding the cocoon of a worm that ate mulberry plants, a shining strong thread could be taken out. She and some of her maidens wove the thread and invented the fabric of silk. The worms were called "silk worms" and soon they were raised and harvested for the purpose of producing silk. This discovery remains with us to this day when the Chinese are still considered the finest silk merchants in the world. Silk of all colours and qualities can be purchased in Hong Kong.
Typhoon - A typhoon is a tropical storm with high winds. The word means "Big Wind" and Hong Kong is often affected by these fierce storms. Typhoons most often occur between July and September. The news and weather reports track a storm's movement and there is usually plenty of warning before the typhoon strikes. Signals are hoisted at various points around Hong Kong indicating the intensity of the approaching storm. Any telephone directory has an explanation and further information on typhoons printed in the first part of the book.
Writing (Chinese writing) - The Chinese language, when spoken, can vary greatly from province to province. In some cases, a man from one area of China cannot even understand the language of a fellow country man from another area. However, all Chinese read and comprehend the same written language. Chinese writing dates back at least 3,500 years. The Chinese use symbols called characters, made with strokes of a pen or brush. About 3,000 symbols are needed by any person for everyday living. It takes the knowledge of at minimum 7,000 characters to read a newspaper. Because of the type of drawing needed to write in Chinese, it is considered an art and children learn to drill in practice at a very young age.
Yin and Yang - In ancient times, the Chinese explained the balance of the world in terms of the Yin and the Yang. They believed there to be two forces behind all things in life. The bright force, full of warmth and light, is called the Yang and the other dark, cold and solid force is called the Yin. These two forces are always opposing each other and when one or the other dominates, there is confusion and the world is out of sorts. The earth, heavy and dark, is the Yin while the light, air and sun are the Yang. Maintaining and balancing of the Yin and Yang became part of everyday Chinese life and to this day, the Chinese seek to keep a moderate level in all areas of existence.
Zodiac - The Chinese put great faith in the stars and their lunar calendar is based on the movement and position of the heavens, the Zodiac. Each year is titled "Year of the ..." particular zodiac animal with certain animals representing luck, wisdom, laziness, strong character and so on.