Chapter 21
Religion and Custom
Hong Kong's Basic Law guarantees religious freedom, allowing a diversity of faiths to coexist harmoniously. Of these, Buddhism and Taoism have the most followers. Celebrations of religious holidays form an anticipated part of the social calendar alongside traditional Chinese festivals.
Traditional Festivals
The Lunar New Year is the most important festival in the Chinese calendar. It marks the first new moon of the year, considered an auspicious time for friends and relatives to visit one another and to exchange gifts while children and unmarried adults receive lai see, or 'lucky' money, in red packets. This is followed by the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month to honour ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan, who chose death over compromising his honour by jumping into a river. Dragon boat races and rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves are highlights of this festival. Next comes the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth. lunar month, when families and friends gather under the full moon with colourful lanterns and eat mooncakes, a traditional festival delicacy. Apart from these celebrations, the Chinese visit their ancestral graves during the Ching Ming Festival in spring and the Chung Yeung Festival in autumn. They climb hills at Chung Yeung to remember one family's flight up a mountain in ancient times to escape a plague.
Buddhism
Buddhism was introduced into China from India more than 2,000 years ago. It is one of the main religions practised in Hong Kong, with around one million followers and over 400 temples, some dating back more than 700 years. Notable worship sites include the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, famous for its giant bronze statue of a seated Tian Tan Buddha that is also known as the Big Buddha, and the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill, Kowloon, which comprises a cluster of temple structures built in the architectural style of the Tang dynasty. Both are popular visitor attractions.
Local Buddhist groups have long aided social welfare and education, operating nearly 100 primary and secondary schools, homes for the elderly and centres for children and youth. The Hong Kong Buddhist Association, for instance, was founded in 1945 and seeks to propagate
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