Public & National Holidays in Hong Kong

Instructions

• 1

  Holidays in January
  
  1st – New Year’s Day
  
  Hong Kong is particularly famous for its fireworks on New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Day is declared as a public holiday by the local administrative authority.
• 2

  Holidays in February

  
  10, 11 & 12th – Chinese New Year
  
  The Chinese New Year is one of the most important Chinese traditional holidays. The Lantern festival is also a part of the New Year festivities, being celebrated on the 15th of the first month of the Chinese calendar.
• 3

  Holidays in March

  
  29th – Good Friday
  
  It’s a Christian Holy Day that marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This day has great importance in the Christian religion, and is observed as a day of grief among the Christian community.
  
  30th – Holy Saturday
  
  The Good Friday is followed by the Holy Saturday, which commemorates the death of Jesus Christ. It’s the last day of the Holy Week when Christians prepare for the Easter. It was on this very day when Jesus Christ’s body was laid in his tomb.
• 4

  Holidays in April

  
  1st – Easter Monday
  
  This date commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  
  4th – Ching Ming Festival
  
  Also known as Ancestors’ Day, this is the day when the locals visit the tombs and burial grounds of their ancestors to pay them homage.
• 5

  Holidays in May

  
  1st – Labour Day
  
  It’s an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. It’s also known as International Worker’s Day in some countries.
  
  17th – Buddha’s Birthday
  
  A major Buddhist religious occasion for the followers of the religion, it’s widely believed that Buddha was born on this date. The Buddhists pray and hope to follow the teachings of Buddha in their future, specially his principles of simplicity, peace and charity.
• 6

  Holidays in June

  
  12th – Dragon Boat Festival
  
  The Dragon Boat Festival is another Chinese traditional holiday being celebrated in Hong Kong. On this day the locals feast on rice cuisines and racing on dragon boats to celebrate the occasion.
• 7

  Holidays in July

  
  1st – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
  
  This day marks the transfer of the administration of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China.
• 8

  Holidays in September

  
  20th – Day following the Mid-Autumn Festival
  
  The day is observed as a harvest festival by different Southeast Asian nations, being celebrated on the 15th of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar.
• 9

  Holidays in October

  
  1st – National Day
  
  This day commemorates the formation of People’s Republic of China, being also known as the National Day. A great fireworks display takes place on the National Day’s Eve, which is a stunning spectacle for the locals.
  
  13th – Chung Yeung Festival
  
  There is a common misperception of ‘9’ being a dangerous number in Chinese tradition. This Chung Yeung Festival is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese calendar, so that they people may save themselves from potential danger. It’s a common practice to drink chrysanthemum wine and climb high mountains to protect one from harm.
• 10

  Holidays in December

  
  25th – Christmas Day
  
  Like in most parts of the world, Christmas is also celebrated in Hong Kong. Christmas is declared as an official holiday in the region due the influence of their former rulers, the United Kingdom.
  
  26th – Boxing Day
  
  The day is observed as a holiday in the commonwealth nations, when servants and subordinates receive gifts from their superiors. Businesses including banks are generally closed on this day, with the exception of grocery stores and restaurants.