Seven Things Hong Kong Chinese people do before and during the Chinese New Year

Seven things to do for Hong Kong Chinese before and during Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is the most important festival for the Hong Kong Chinese people. 

There are seven things to do totally! 

As a traveler, you can join the celebration!

1.Visit Lunar New Year Fair

After visiting Lunar New Year Fair before the coming of the new year, people believe they can be luckier in the new year.

In the past, people bought flowers. 

Now people buy lots of different souvenirs to celebrate. In 2015, 60% of stalls in the Victoria Park, which has the biggest fair in Hong Kong, sell souvenirs.

2.Say Hello to the God

It is important to say hello to the gods and make the wishes at the beginning of the new year. 

So lots of people go to different temples. 

People also believe that if he/she can be the first human being to offer the first incense stick to the god, he/she would be the luckiest human being. 

So the popular Wong Tai Sin Temple are extremely busy and crowded.

3.Watch the New Year Soccer Game

Hong Kong citizens ignore the local soccer league. They just care the New Year Soccer Game because they can see lots of STARS! 

In the past, Russia's Alexander Mostovoi, Mexico's Cuauhtémoc Blanco etc. showed up. 

In 2015, representative of the year, GOAT, invites the Spanish prolific goal scorer, Raul Gonzalez, with his New York Cosmos teammates to play in Hong Kong!

4.Chinese New Year Night Parade

2015 is the 20th anniversary of the new year night parade. Hong Kong citizens can take the chance to take the selfies with the beautiful and sexy performers. 

They will upload the selfies to the Facebook and wait for mo LIKEs!

5.Chinese New Year Fireworks Display

Hong Kong has lots of the fireworks show. The Chinese New Year Firework is the biggest. 

300,000 - 400,000 people enjoy the show at the Victoria Harbour front.

6.Lunar New Year Horse Race Meeting

'Good Luck in horse racing' (馬運亨通 Ma Wan Heng Tong) is a popular greeting during the Chinese New Year. 

People want to test their luck by their cash through betting on their favourite racing horses.

7.Play Mahjong

During the family reunion dinners or visits in friends' homes, people try to kill the time or enhancing the friendship by playing Mahjong.  

If you want to be healthier in the new year, you can play Mahjong as 'Mahjong can cure hundred different illnesses'. 

At least, playing Mahjong can improve your calculation skill and prevent dementia.

Frank the tour guide says Gong Hei Fat Choy and Happy New Year to all in the Year of GOAT!!!

For easy and enjoyable private tour planning in Hong Kong and Macau, please contact Frank.

Paper Offering Shops in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's paper offering shops

In the modern city center and the traditional markets of Hong Kong, you can still find a lot of paper offering shops.

Origin of paper offering shops

Chinese believe that after death, our souls will live in another world.  So the lonely souls still need friends, servants or daily necessities.  For catering their ancestors' lonely souls, people make different offerings for them.

The terra-cotta warriors in Xian were the offerings for protecting the soul of the first emperor of China.

That was too expensive and time-consuming to make the terra-cotta offerings. So people use the cheaper and easier paper to make the offerings.

Functions of paper offerings 

Nowadays, Chinese still make and burn lots of different kinds of paper offerings for their ancestors. They get them at the paper offering shops.

People burn the paper money for the ancestors.  Then the ancestors can ‘maintain’ their ‘paper houses’ and a ‘team of paper servants’.  They can even ‘play’ the ‘paper mahjong’!

People want to be rich.  So they want their ancestors in the paradise to be wealthy also.  So they burn the ‘paper Benz’, ‘paper I-PAD’, ‘Paper LV handbag’ etc. for the ancestors.

Paper offerings are an important ancestral worship channel for the filial descendants to mourn their ancestors.  They are also the emotional projection of people’s wishes.

Paper offering shops today

There are still a lot of paper offering shops in Hong Kong toady.  

The artists inside are the living cultural heritage because they know some fading skills, like making paper lanterns!

YOU can have a easy and enjoyable private tour in Hong Kong to learn more about the local religious culture.

Please contact Frank the tour guide for YOUR private tour planning.

YOU may browse the following easy and enjoyable private tour options for details...

half day Kowloon culture tour

full day Hong Kong Lantau tour