What is Buddha’s Birthday and where can you celebrate the holiday in Hong Kong in 2024?

Hong Kong's Tian Tan Buddha - also known as the Big Buddha - on Lantau Island. Photo: Martin Chan

• Buddha's Birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which this year lands on May 15 - a public holiday in Hong Kong
• Events to celebrate the festival will take place across the city, including Buddha bathing rituals, lantern lighting, and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival

In Hong Kong, Buddha's Birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which this year lands on May 15.

Hong Kong declared it a public holiday in 1998; Buddhism is a major religion in the city, with more than 1 million followers among the population of roughly 7.5 million.

To mark the occasion, thousands of worshippers visit Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout Hong Kong, with some eating only vegetarian meals as a way to "cleanse" their digestive systems.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Lanterns are lit to symbolise the Buddha's enlightenment, while altars are decorated with incense and offerings.

Who was the Buddha?

Buddha's Birthday, marked on different days around the region, is a celebration of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in a kingdom just below the Himalayan foothills sometime during the sixth or fifth century BC.

The philosopher and spiritual teacher founded Buddhism, now the world's fourth-largest religion with more than 500 million followers globally.

Siddhartha's spiritual journey started when he left his family's lap of luxury, determined to break free of his privileged life and fully understand suffering.

He fasted for long periods while engaging in meditation, and is believed to have achieved enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi tree. This was when Siddhartha became the Buddha, the word derived from the Sanskrit word budh, which loosely translates as "one who is awake".

What rituals does Buddha's Birthday include?

Buddha's Birthday is sometimes referred to as the Bathing of the Buddha Festival because a key ritual is for worshippers to use a ladle to pour water over a statue of Buddha, an act that symbolises the purification and cleansing of the soul. The ritual also involves bowing and the offering of prayers.

For centuries, Buddha recognised the need to respect all living things. But one ritual carried out on his birthday, the practice of mercy release - freeing captured animals in the belief the act brings a person good karma - has come under fire from animal welfare groups.

Many of the animals are weak and sick when bought for mercy release and are often caught from the wild just for the purpose of the ritual, according to Hong Kong's Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG).

"It is a sad irony that many wild animals are captured specifically to be released later," a KFBG spokesman says. "Many are injured or die during capture and during transportation, due to shortage of food and water. Many are already sick and very weak, with minimal chance of survival."

Where to celebrate Buddha's Birthday in Hong Kong?

The Buddha's Light International Association of Hong Kong is hosting a series of family-friendly events in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on May 15. Celebrations include a vegetarian food fair, flower show, arts and crafts, and a kids' entertainment zone. Purifying rituals such as bathing the Buddha, wish-making and meditating will also be held.

The Hong Kong Buddhist Association is holding a three-day celebration at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon, from May 15-17. The programme includes ceremonies for bathing, lantern lighting and chanting, as well as talks.

One of the major celebrations in Hong Kong takes place at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, near the Tian Tan Buddha statue. Also referred to as the Big Buddha, the 34-metre-tall (112ft) bronze statue, completed in 1993, is the world's largest seated Buddha statue. On May 15, a Buddha bathing ceremony will be held in the monastery's Hall of the Great Hero.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Man Fat Tsz) in Pai Tau Village, Sha Tin, in the New Territories, is one of Hong Kong's most famous Buddhist temples and most popular tourist attractions. On May 15, Buddha bathing ceremonies will take place, along with the serving of complimentary vegetarian noodles.

The Cheung Chau Bun Festival also coincides with the celebration of Buddha's Birthday. Also known as the Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival, it is believed to have originated in the 18th or 19th century to celebrate the end of a plague.

Highlights include the Piu Sik ("floating colour") Parade and the bun-snatching competition, which sees participants scramble up bamboo towers to grab as many hanging buns as possible.

About 60,000 visitors are expected on the island on May 15.

More Articles from SCMP

Pakistan wants to speed up China-linked project amid fears over fatal attacks

Vietnam risks wider Spratlys dispute with more land reclamation: Chinese think tank

Asian investors give Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange a vote of confidence with rising activity, says Tadawul CEO

Beijing warns of ‘firm response’ if UK further jeopardises ties as Hong Kong spying row deepens

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.