RELIGION
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ninth day of the ninth moon is Chung Yeung, when large crowds climb Victoria Peak and other hills in imitation of a Chinese family of old who escaped death and misfortune by fleeing to the top of a high mountain. Graves are also refurbished.
Certain other festivals are celebrated by particular sections of the community. Fishermen pay special and colourful attention to the birthday of their patron saint, Tin Hau, at her temples. The Chiuchow community celebrate the Yu Lan Tsit, or Festival of the Dead, in the seventh moon, with elaborate Buddhist ceremonies and theatrical performances.
There are about 5,000 followers of the Islamic faith in Hong Kong. Most of them are Chinese who have emigrated to the Colony from China, particularly during the past ten years. The other members of the Muslim community are mainly Pakistanis, Malaysians, Persians and people from neighbouring regions. They gather together every Friday to say prayers (Juma Nemaz)-at the Shelley Street Mosque on Hong Kong Island and at the mosque in Nathan Road in Kowloon.
The Shelley Street Mosque was the first to be built in the Colony and dates back to the early days of the introduction of the Islamic faith in Hong Kong in the 1880's. It has been rebuilt once. The mosque in Kowloon was originally built for the use of Moslem troops in the former Indian Army, some units of which were stationed in Hong Kong before the war. The mosque is situated on land within Whitfield Barracks.
Two places have been set aside by the Government as burial grounds for the Muslim community. One is at Happy Valley and the other, opened in August 1963, is at the new Cape Collinson Cemetery, Chai Wan. The latter contains a beautifully designed mosque built by Government. A board of trustees, comprising representatives of the various groups within the Muslim com- munity, is the co-ordinating body of all religious affairs and is also responsible for looking after the mosques and the cemeteries. Much charitable work among the Muslim community is being done by a welfare committee set up in recent years by a group of public- spirited women.
The Hindu community in Hong Kong numbers more than 3,000. Their religious and social activities centre around the Hindu