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Hong Kong Holidays/ Festivals 2018
2015 Calendar below for reference
The first day of January 1 Jan
Chinese New Year of the Goat 19 Feb
The second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year

Che Kung's Birthday

20 Feb
The third day of the Lunar New Year 21 Feb
Spring Lantern Festival / Yuen Siu 5 Mar
Chinese Groundhog Day 6 Mar
Ching Ming Festival 5 Apr
The day following Ching Ming Festival 6 Apr
Good Friday 3 Apr
The day following Good Friday 4 Apr
Easter Monday 6 Apr
Labour Day 1 May
Birthday of Tin Hau 11 May
Buddha’s Birthday and Cheung Chau Bun Festival

also Tam Kung's Birthday

25 May
Tuen Ng /  Dragon Boat Festival 20 Jun
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day 1 July
Kwan Tai / Kwan Gon's Birthday 8 Aug
Seventh Goddess' Day / Tsat-je 20 Aug
Chinese Ghosts Festival / Yue Lan 27 Aug
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival 27 Sep
Day after Mid-Autumn Festival

Monkey King Festival

28 Sep
Confucius' Birthday/Teacher's Day 9 Oct
Chinese National Day 1 Oct
Chung Yeung Festival  
Winter Solstice 22 Dec
Christmas Day 25 Dec
Boxing Day 26 Dec

 

Hong Kong Festivals 2016
Hong Kong Festivals 2017

   

 

 

Home > Festivals > Festival of the Hungry ghosts

Chinese Ghost Festival

The Festival of the Hungry ghosts is on the seventh moon in the Chinese lunar calendar, on the 14th day.  It typically falls around mid to late August each year.  But some years it is in Sept.

For one long lunar month during the Hungry Ghost Festival, ghosts are said to roam the earth.  The gate of Hell is said to be opened during this month so even now that I have grown up, I still feel uncomfortable to go out at night around the Ghost Festival days! 

In Chinese YUE LAAN (HUNGRY GHOST) FESTIVAL

In the more rural areas like the outlying islands and the New Territories you will see people lighting small fires by the road to burn offerings like paper money to make the ghosts more comfortable.  Proper offerings also include food items like steamed chicken or roasted pork, though the family will eat the meat after the offerings.  Other food items like rice, peanuts, orange or apple will be left on the street as offerings. 

There will be Chinese operas in some places. Popular venues are King George V Memorial Park in Kowloon, you may also find them in  Morton Terrace Playground in Causeway Bay.


Old lady burning jossticks with different food items as offering


Food left on the street as offerings


Huge mess on the ground and most people won't clean it up.  Poor cleaners!

Another informal Chinese festival: Chinese Groundhog Day/Excited Insects Day

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