Experience a Unique Hong Kong Chinese New Year

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 18, 2024--

As one of the most festive cities in Asia to celebrate Chinese New Year, Hong Kong boasts a vibrant range of celebrations around every corner. In recent years, a lot of traditional customs have been modernised with novel interpretations, blending cultural heritage and innovation for an unparalleled festive experience. Among the highlights are the myriad of fortune-enhancing activities that attract travelers to various temples, where they can immerse themselves in refreshing spiritual traditions like never before.

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Wong Tai Sin Temple: Fortune-Seeking Meets Interactive Technology

Visit the Wong Tai Sin Temple for seeking blessings for the year ahead, where it is best known for its reputation of making most wishes come true. Every Chinese New Year, droves of worshippers flock to the temple on the night of New Year’s Eve (i.e. 28 January 2025), racing to offer the sacred “first incense” to the deity at midnight on the first day of the year, symbolising a propitious beginning and a good omen.

If you miss the midnight rush, visiting Wong Tai Sin during the first lunar month is also considered an auspicious way to kick off the new year. Many people who wish for a year of smooth sailing like to pay respect to their respective Taisui (the 60 deities in charge of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs combined with the five elements of Chinese astrology) at the beginning of the year, making the Taisui Yuenchen Hall one of the most popular spots at Wong Tai Sin Temple. The magnificent hall features a starry LED sky dome with constellations that create an otherworldly atmosphere. Worshippers standing beneath the dome can hear their own voice echo as they pray, creating a sense of divine connection. When placing the petition document into the cabinet in front of the Tai Sui shrine, worshippers will be greeted by a misty special effect with glowing red light, symbolising the deities’ acceptance of the devotee’s intentions.

What’s more, the temple offers an interactive LED wishing wall at its Cultural Centre for Wong Tai Sin Belief and Customs. Upon entering their name and wishes digitally via a QR code, visitors can see them displayed instantly on the wall that stretches from the centre exterior to interior, across the ceiling, witnessing their wishes “ascend to heaven”.

Opening Hours during Chinese New Year:

For detailed opening hours of other buildings and halls in Wong Tai Sin Temple, please visit their website: http://www.wongtaisintemple.org.hk/.

EncounterDigital Fortune-enhancing Experiencesat Ease

Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan and Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei are two other popular temples adored by believers. Visitors to Man Mo Temple often pray for academic and career success, while Tin Hau Temple is a hotspot wishing for blessings, and is well-received by local worshippers and intrigued tourists alike.

These historical temples, which are both declared monuments, have been keeping up with the times by digitalising the worshipping experience. The introduction of self-service kiosks allows visitors from around the world to effortlessly purchase incense and offerings. To commemorate the experience, a blessing seal will be stamped on the shopping receipts, and you will get a unique keepsake to carry the good fortune around.

For those praying for prosperity, the “Kwun Yum Treasury Opening” on the 26th day of the first lunar month (i.e. 23 February 2025) is a noteworthy occasion. Eager devotees queue up outside Kwun Yum Temples on this auspicious day, all hoping to symbolically “borrow” wealth from Kwun Yum (the Goddess of Mercy) for the year ahead. Don’t worry if you miss this auspicious event, a number of temples in Hong Kong have got you covered by bringing the activity online. All you need to do is to register in advance, and you can “borrow” virtually on the day of treasury opening. Fortune tokens can then be collected from a selected temple during your next visit to Hong Kong within a designated period to complete the metaphoric “loan” with the Goddess.

For detailed opening hours of Sheung Wan Man Mo Temple, Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple, and arrangement for online “Kwun Yum Treasury Opening”, please visit their website: https://temples.tungwahcsd.org.

The Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival: Tradition Illuminated with a Modern Twist

The Wishing Trees in Tai Po’s Lam Tsuen have long been a revered spot for wish making. Every Chinese New Year, fortune seekers of all ages gather at the Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival, ready to test their luck by throwing the iconic wishing placards. According to tradition, visitors write their wishes on a piece of joss paper attached to an orange, and toss it up to the tree. If it clings to the branches, it is believed the wishes will come true. The higher the placard hangs, the greater the chance of the wish coming true.

Moving with the times, the wishing trees have been enhanced with shimmering luminosity and glowing wishing placards, adding a magical touch to this amusing ritual. Visitors can also try the upgraded new rituals such as blessing lotus lanterns and love locks, alongside a series of exclusive activities in this joyous carnival. Nevertheless, from 30 January until 13 February, the Festival will be embellished with more photo-worthy moments created by floats from the International Chinese New Year Night Parade on display at Lam Tsuen.

Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival

Date: 29 January – 12 February 2025
Transportation: Take bus 63R from Tai Po Market and Tai Wo Railway Station,
*Lam Tsuen New Year Night Market will be held between 29 January and 4 February 2025. For details, please visit:https://www.instagram.com/hkwellwishingfestival.

Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year festivities are a symphony of tradition and innovation, from riveting temple hopping to timeless wishing rituals, the city is bursting with festive surprises. Get ready for your Chinese New Year trip to Hong Kong now and embrace a year filled with blessings and good fortune!

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Pray for academic and career success at Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan

Hong Kong Well-wishing Festival at Tai Po’s Lam Tsuen (Credit: Lam Tsuen Wishing Square)

NEW DELHI (AP) — A protest erupted in India’s capital Tuesday in response to the death of a Hindu man who was lynched and burned by an angry mob in neighboring Bangladesh, a new sign of strain in relations between the neighboring countries.

The protest in New Delhi, mainly led by Hindu nationalist organization Vishva Hindu Parishad, highlights the fragility in the relationship between India and Bangladesh, which often is held up as a rare example of stability in South Asia.

Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi died in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday after being shot on Dec. 12 in Dhaka. Police in Bangladesh said they identified suspects and the shooter likely had fled to India.

Hadi’s death triggered widespread violence in Dhaka. The offices of two national daily newspapers were torched and Indian diplomatic missions were targeted. A Hindu man also was burned alive, which sparked the protest Tuesday in India.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Tuesday near the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, shouting slogans and accusing Bangladeshi groups of wrongly targeting minorities. They carried placards and banners with slogans including “India will not tolerate torture of Hindus in Bangladesh” and “Our silence should not be mistaken as weakness, we are lions.”

Authorities erected barricades and imposed tight security around the diplomatic enclave that included police and armored vehicles. Security personnel used batons to hold back some protesters who broke through barricades in an apparent attempt to enter the embassy.

One of the Indian protestors, Rajkumar Jindal, threatened “dire consequences” if authorities in Bangladesh failed to stop violence against Hindus.

“People who are committing atrocities should stop doing that. We are here to awaken the people who are asleep,” Jindal said.

Hadi took part in a 2024 political uprising that ended the 15-year rule of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in exile since fleeing Bangladesh on Aug. 5, 2024. He was a fierce critic of India and Hasina and planned to run as an independent candidate in a major constituency in Dhaka in the next national elections in February.

Hadi's death sparked a new diplomatic squabble with India and prompted New Delhi this week to summon Bangladesh’s envoy.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned Pranay Verma, the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, to apprise him of the security situation at Bangladesh missions in New Delhi and state capitals Kolkata and Agartala, a leading Bengali-language newspaper reported Tuesday.

Tensions between India and Bangladesh increased again with the death on Thursday of Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old Hindu man who was lynched and burned publicly following allegations of blasphemy in Mymensingh district’s Bhaluka subdistrict.

Das's killing contributed to a pattern of fear among the Hindu community in Bangladesh following the ouster of Hasina.

Religious minority groups including Hindus and Christians have accused Bangladesh's interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of failing to protect the safety of Hindus and others. The Yunus administration has rejected the allegations.

Tuesday's protest could complicate cooperation on trade, border management and regional connectivity at a time when the region is already grappling with economic uncertainty and political polarization, said Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, an international affairs expert at New Delhi’s Jindal School of International Affairs.

“Opposing India and alleging Indian conspiracies of interference in Bangladesh are being done in order to harden a blatantly Islamist and non-inclusive path for the country,” Chaulia said.

The rupture is a setback to India’s broader regional strategy, while for Bangladesh the loss of India’s development assistance and markets could further dampen the country's slowing economy and push it further into dependence on China, Chaulia said.

Bangladesh and India have enjoyed a warm relationship since 2009 when Hasina came to power and until her ouster. Hasina was considered a friend by India and both countries thrived on bilateral cooperation. But Hasina’s opponents accused her administration of being subservient to India, a major trade and investment partner.

Alam reported from Dhaka.

Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a prominent right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, shout slogans during a protest near Bangladesh High Commission accusing Bangladeshi groups of wrongly targeting Indians, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec.23, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a prominent right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, shout slogans during a protest near Bangladesh High Commission accusing Bangladeshi groups of wrongly targeting Indians, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec.23, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a prominent right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, shout slogans during a protest near Bangladesh High Commission accusing Bangladeshi groups of wrongly targeting Indians, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec.23, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Police officers try to stop activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a prominent right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, crossing over barricades during a protest near Bangladesh High Commission accusing Bangladeshi groups of wrongly targeting Indians, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a prominent right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, shout slogans during a protest near Bangladesh High Commission accusing Bangladeshi groups of wrongly targeting Indians, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec.23, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)