Lord Buddha’s Birthday

The Birthday of the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), the founder of Buddhism, also known as the Buddha Bathing Holiday, is among the most spiritual and exceptional festivals observed in Hong Kong.
According to legend, nine dragons sprayed water to bathe the infant Buddha at birth. To commemorate this, at Buddhist temples throughout town, devotees gather to pay their regards to this revered deity by bathing statues of him in bowls of water. The ritual is believed to help in the purification of one’s soul. Among the ceremonies is held in the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, house of the Big Buddha.

Before and following the Birthday of Buddha, celebrants also eat special green cookies – and if these sound unappetising, that’s since they are. These cookies are blatantly fairly bitter, as eating them represents passing through adversity to appreciate better things.

Celebration
The celebration of Buddha’s Birthday is mainly celebrated in Hong Kong’s major Buddhist monasteries and temples such as the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. Buddha statues are moved from their temples and given public baths.