Christmas in Hong Kong

Without the snow, cold and early nightfall, it doesn't really feel like Christmas. I'm on summer vacation with the rest of the Aussie teachers! Coming home to our families will bring on the Christmas spirit, no doubt. So the 25th felt much like any other day . . . except we, as Damo liked to put it, participated in a pagan ritual.

Hong Kong's dominate religions, in this country (city?) of almost 7 million, are Buddhism and Taoism, followed by Christainity (536, 000), then Muslim (70,000), Hindu (15,000) and Sikh (8000), according to my trusty Lonely Planet guide.

Our first stop was one of 600 odd temples, monasteries and shrines in the territory, the Chuk Lam Sim (Bamboo Forest) Monastery, to see some large golden Buddhas. This was followed by a trip to the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree, a banyan tree upon which you throw a paper with your written wishes enscribed, in hopes that your paper catches a branch and your wish will then be granted. Unfortunately, the tree was dying under the weight of all the wishes so we hung ours on a wooden rack instead.

After our tour (in which we also took a boo over the border at the new mainland
China industrial city of Shenzhen and the old walled city of Kat Wing Hai), we went out for our Xmas dinner. Both of us passed up the turkey option for steak. Yum yum.

Christmas Eve in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Christmas is a holiday but the sort of holiday where you take your family shopping and out to eat. On Christmas Eve, the streets of downtown Kowloon and probably across the harbour on Hong Kong Island, had to be closed off to vehicles since there were so many people out to watch the fireworks and laser show, plus take advantage of the shops' extended hours to 10 pm. We're right by the Golden Mile, a street of neon signs, aggressive salesmen, and dodgy electronic and watch stores selling goods without price tags. Since we're also at the primo harbour edge and near the hoity toity hotels like the Peninsula, we're right by the all the high end fashion house stores like Dior, Fendi, Prada and Chanel. Sigh . . . to be wealthy . . .