Public holidays in Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Public holidays in Hong Kong
are holiday
s designated by the Government of Hong Kong
. They allow workers rest from work, usually in conjunction with special occasions.
s , are set by the General Holidays Ordinance.
Under the administration of the United Kingdom
prior to 1997, the Queen's Birthday was a public holiday observed in the second Monday of June. It was replaced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
after the transfer of sovereignty
to the People's Republic of China
. Similarly, Commonwealth Day
was a school holiday prior to the transfer of sovereignty, as is the birthday anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The anniversary of the liberation of Hong Kong was observed on the last Monday in August, and the preceding day was also observed as anniversary of the victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War
. After the transfer of sovereignty, the two public holidays were replaced with Labour Day
and the National Day of the People's Republic of China
.
According to Hong Kong laws, when a designated public holiday falls on a Sunday or on the same day of another holiday, the immediate following weekday would be a public holiday. However, there are exceptions; for example, as Lunar New Year 2007 falls on a Sunday (February 18th), the government have designated the Saturday directly before (February 17th) as a public holiday.
If an employer states in the employment contract that its employees are only allowed to take statutory holidays, it is legal to require the employees to work on public holidays that are not statutory holidays (i.e. Good Friday, the day following Good Friday, Easter Monday, Buddha's Birthday and the day following Christmas) without salary or leave compensations.
Traditionally, statutory holidays are an entitlement associated with blue-collar
jobs in fields such as manufacturing
, construction
, textiles and clothing
, repairing, mass media
, security
, cleaning, transportation, logistics
, distribution
, retailing
, catering
, laborer
, hotel
and customer service
. But in recent years, certain white-collar
jobs and government contract staff are also entitled to statutory holidays only.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
are holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
s designated by the Government of Hong Kong
Government of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...
. They allow workers rest from work, usually in conjunction with special occasions.
Public holidays
The 17 public holidays , also called Bank HolidayBank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
s , are set by the General Holidays Ordinance.
| Date | Name in English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
Name in Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every Sunday | Sunday | 星期日 | |
| January 1 | New Year's Day New Year's Day New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome... |
元旦新年 | |
| First day of the first moon (Chinese calendar Chinese calendar The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well... ) |
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration... |
農曆年初一 | Usually occurs in late January or early February; the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays |
| Second day of the first moon (Chinese calendar) | Second day of Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration... ) |
農曆年初二 | |
| Third day of the first moon (Chinese calendar) | Third day of Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration... ) |
農曆年初三 | |
| April 5 (April 4 in leap year Leap year A leap year is a year containing one extra day in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year... s) |
Ching Ming Festival | 清明節 | Occurs about 15 days after the Vernal Equinox; day for paying respect to one's ancestors |
| Good Friday Good Friday Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of... |
耶穌受難節 | ||
| Day following Good Friday (Holy Saturday Holy Saturday Holy Saturday , sometimes known as Easter Eve or Black Saturday, is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter... ) |
耶穌受難節翌日 | ||
| Easter Monday Easter Monday Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures... |
復活節星期一 | ||
| May 1 | Labour Day May Day May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures.... |
勞動節 | |
| Eighth day of the fourth moon (Chinese calendar) | Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday, the birthday of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, is a holiday traditionally celebrated in Mahayana Buddhism.- East Asia except Japan :... |
佛誕 | Usually occurs in May; new holiday established in 1998 (general not statutory) |
| Fifth day of the fifth moon (Chinese calendar) | Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Festival Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival and the Double Fifth, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies... (Tuen Ng Festival) |
端午節 | Usually occurs in June; day for patriotic remembrance, eating cakes and dragon boat races |
| July 1 | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July, in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special... |
香港特別行政區成立紀念日 | |
| Sixteenth day of the eighth moon (Chinese calendar) | Day following the Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou... |
中秋節翌日 | Usually occurs in September; important autumn celebration of harvest and togetherness, with the lighting of lanterns, eating of mooncakes and observation of the moon |
| October 1 | National Day National Day of the People's Republic of China The National Day of the People's Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1. It is a public holiday in the People's Republic of China to celebrate their national day.The PRC was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tiananmen Square... |
中華人民共和國國慶日 | Usually held for two days from October 1 to October 2 |
| Ninth day of the ninth moon (Chinese calendar) | Chung Yeung Festival | 重陽節 | Usually occurs in October; day for honouring the elderly and the deceased, and for mountain climbing |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | 聖誕節 | |
| December 26 | Day following Christmas (Boxing Day Boxing Day Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as... ) |
聖誕節翌日 |
Under the administration of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
prior to 1997, the Queen's Birthday was a public holiday observed in the second Monday of June. It was replaced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July, in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special...
after the transfer of sovereignty
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Similarly, Commonwealth Day
Commonwealth Day
Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by HM Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High...
was a school holiday prior to the transfer of sovereignty, as is the birthday anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The anniversary of the liberation of Hong Kong was observed on the last Monday in August, and the preceding day was also observed as anniversary of the victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. After the transfer of sovereignty, the two public holidays were replaced with Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
and the National Day of the People's Republic of China
National Day of the People's Republic of China
The National Day of the People's Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1. It is a public holiday in the People's Republic of China to celebrate their national day.The PRC was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tiananmen Square...
.
According to Hong Kong laws, when a designated public holiday falls on a Sunday or on the same day of another holiday, the immediate following weekday would be a public holiday. However, there are exceptions; for example, as Lunar New Year 2007 falls on a Sunday (February 18th), the government have designated the Saturday directly before (February 17th) as a public holiday.
Statutory holidays
According to the Employee Ordinance of the Labour Legislation, 12 of the 17 public holidays are compulsory for employers to give to the employees. These 12 holidays are known as statuatory holidays , labour holidays , or factory holidays .| Date | Name in English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... |
Name in Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every Sunday | Sunday | 星期日 | |
| January 1 | New Year's Day New Year's Day New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome... |
一月一日 (元旦新年) | |
| First day of the first moon (Chinese lunar calendar) | Chinese New Year | 農曆年初一 | Usually occurs in late January or early February; the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays |
| Second day of the first moon (Chinese lunar calendar) | Second day of Chinese Lunar New Year | 農曆年初二 | |
| Third day of the first moon (Chinese lunar calendar) | Third day of Chinese Lunar New Year | 農曆年初三 | |
| April 5 (April 4 in leap year Leap year A leap year is a year containing one extra day in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year... s) |
Ching Ming Festival | 清明節 | Occurs about 15 days after the Vernal Equinox; day for paying respect to one's ancestors |
| May 1 | Labour Day Labour Day Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for... |
勞動節 | |
| Fifth day of the fifth moon (Chinese lunar calendar) | Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Festival Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival and the Double Fifth, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies... (Tuen Ng Festival) |
端午節 | Usually occurs in June; day for patriotic remembrance, eating cakes and dragon boat races |
| July 1 | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is celebrated every 1 July, in Hong Kong since 1997. The holiday commemorates the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special... |
香港特別行政區成立紀念日 | |
| Sixteenth day of the eighth moon (Chinese lunar calendar) | Day following the Mid-Autumn Festival Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou... (or Moon Festival) |
中秋節翌日 | Usually occurs in September; important autumn celebration of harvest and togetherness, with the lighting of lanterns, eating of mooncakes and observation of the moon |
| October 1 | National Day National Day of the People's Republic of China The National Day of the People's Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1. It is a public holiday in the People's Republic of China to celebrate their national day.The PRC was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tiananmen Square... |
中華人民共和國國慶日 | Usually held for two days from October 1 to October 2 |
| Ninth day of the ninth moon (Chinese lunar calendar) | Chung Yeung Festival | 重陽節 | Usually occurs in October; day for honouring the elderly and the deceased, and for mountain climbing |
| around December 21 or 22 OR December 25 | Winter Solstice Winter solstice Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film... OR Christmas Day |
冬至或聖誕節 | either day can be chosen by employers. |
If an employer states in the employment contract that its employees are only allowed to take statutory holidays, it is legal to require the employees to work on public holidays that are not statutory holidays (i.e. Good Friday, the day following Good Friday, Easter Monday, Buddha's Birthday and the day following Christmas) without salary or leave compensations.
Traditionally, statutory holidays are an entitlement associated with blue-collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
jobs in fields such as manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
, construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, textiles and clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, repairing, mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
, cleaning, transportation, logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
, distribution
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
, retailing
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
, laborer
Laborer
A Laborer or labourer - see variation in english spelling - is one of the construction trades, traditionally considered unskilled manual labor, as opposed to skilled labor. In the division of labor, laborers have all blasting, hand tools, power tools, air tools, and small heavy equipment, and act...
, hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
. But in recent years, certain white-collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
jobs and government contract staff are also entitled to statutory holidays only.