ENG-1998 — Page 392

CHAPTER 18 RELIGION AND CUSTOM

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HONG KONG has a variety of ethnic and cultural groups with various religious beliefs, including Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Judaism. Ancestor worship is widely practised in Hong Kong owing to the strong influence of Confucianism. Apart from offering religious instruction, many major religious bodies have established schools and health and welfare facilities.

Traditional Festivals

Five major Chinese festivals offer occasions for family union and feasting. Foremost is the Lunar New Year, celebrated in the first few days of the first moon. Friends and relatives exchange visits and gifts while children and unmarried adults receive lai see, or 'lucky' money.

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon in memory of an ancient Chinese poet who committed suicide by jumping into a river rather than compromise his honour. The festival has developed into a joyous event characterised by dragon boat races and rice dumplings wrapped in lotus leaves.

For the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth moon, adults and children gather under the full moon with colourful lanterns and exchange gifts of mooncakes, fruit and wine.

The Ching Ming Festival in spring and Chung Yeung Festival on the ninth day of the ninth moon are occasions for visiting ancestral graves. Many people mark Chung Yeung by climbing hills in remembrance of an ancient Chinese family which escaped plague and death by fleeing to a mountain top.

Buddhism and Taoism

Buddhism and Taoism, traditional Chinese religions, have a large local following with more than 600 Chinese temples in the territory. Buddhist and Taoist deities are often honoured together in the same 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. Since Hong Kong has always depended on the sea- - originally for fishing and then for trade Tin Hau, the Queen of Heaven and Protector of Seafarers, is worshipped widely. During Tin Hau Festival, which falls on the 23rd day of the third moon, many worshippers visit the most famous Tin Hau temple at Joss House Bay on the Clear Water Bay Peninsula.