22 RELIGION AND CUSTOM
HONG KONG has a variety of ethnic and cultural groups with differing religious beliefs. Buddhist monasteries and Taoist temples co-exist with Hindu and Sikh temples, churches, mosques and a synagogue. Besides offering religious instruction, the major religious bodies have established schools and health and welfare facilities. Ancestor worship is also widely practised in Hong Kong as a result of the strong influence of Confucianism, which is not a religion but teaches a moral code based on human relations.
Traditional Festivals
Chinese festivals in Hong Kong offer occasions for family union and feasting. Fore- most of the five major Chinese festivals is the Lunar New Year which falls on the first few days of the first moon. Visits and gifts are exchanged between friends and relatives and children and unmarried adults receive lai see, or 'lucky' money.
The Ching Ming Festival in the spring is the traditional occasion for visiting ancestral graves. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in early summer, on the fifth day of the fifth moon. Originally held in memory of an ancient Chinese poet who committed suicide by jumping into a river, the festival has developed into a joyous event characterised by dragon boat races and the eating of special rice dumplings.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon and gifts of mooncakes, fruit and wine are exchanged. Adults and children carry colourful lanterns to the parks and countryside at night to have a picnic supper and appreciate the full moon. The Chung Yeung Festival, on the ninth day of the ninth moon, is another occasion for visiting ancestral graves. Many people celebrate the festival by climbing hills in remembrance of an ancient Chinese family which fled to a mountain top to escape plague and death.
Buddhism and Taoism
Buddhism and Taoism are traditional Chinese religions and their deities are often honoured together within one temple. Leading deities include Buddha, Kwun Yum (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy), and Lui Cho (a Taoist god).
Deified mortals are revered in recognition of their feats. Foremost of these is Tin Hau, the Queen of Heaven and Protectress of Seafarers, worshipped originally by the fishing population but now by others in the community as well. Hong Kong has more than 20 Tin Hau temples. The most famous is at Joss House Bay on the Clear Water Bay Peninsula. Tens of thousands of worshippers visit it each year during the Tin Hau Festival, which falls on the 23rd day of the third moon.
333