Second Day Following Mid-Autumn in Hong Kong
Hong Kong observes a holiday linked to the day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. It has two legal aspects: it is a general holiday for certain institutions and a statutory holiday for employees under the Employment Ordinance.[1][2]
What the holiday means
The Mid-Autumn Festival itself falls on the full moon of the eighth lunar month. In Hong Kong, the holiday is attached to the following day; the Labour Department lists it among the statutory holidays, while the General Holidays Ordinance also provides for it as a general holiday.[1][2]
The festival has broader cultural meaning beyond the day off. Hong Kong Tourism Board describes it as a time for family reunion, moon-gazing and celebrating the harvest. Round shapes, including the full moon, are associated with family unity in Chinese tradition.[3]
How people observe the festival
Many Mid-Autumn activities centre on the festival night and its surrounding days. Hong Kong Tourism Board describes moon-gazing, paper lanterns and lantern riddles, with lantern displays in parks and along harbourfront spaces. Victoria Park is identified as the city’s largest Mid-Autumn lantern carnival.[4]
The holiday itself follows the main festival date, but the Tourism Board describes moon-gazing as continuing into the following day, when people bid farewell to the moon. It also describes the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance as a Hong Kong tradition, and notes that families gather for the festival and share mooncakes.[3][4]
Who gets the day off
Under the Employment Ordinance, employees are entitled to statutory holidays regardless of their length of service. An employee employed under a continuous contract for at least three months is entitled to statutory holiday pay. Employers may require work on a statutory holiday if they give the required notice and arrange an alternative holiday; they cannot pay an employee in place of granting the holiday.[1]
The general-holiday system also covers banks, educational establishments, public offices and government departments, which need not open on general holidays. Visitors should check the opening hours of a particular shop, restaurant or attraction.[5]
Sunday substitution
If the day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival falls on a Sunday, the day after it—the 17th day of the eighth lunar month—is designated as the substituted statutory and general holiday. This rule is specific to this holiday and differs from the ordinary substitution arrangements for other holidays.[2]
Frequently asked questions
Is this a public holiday in Hong Kong?
When does it fall?
Do employees receive holiday pay?
Employees are entitled to the statutory holiday. Holiday pay is due to employees who have been employed under a continuous contract for at least three months.[1]
Sources and references
Sources used for The second day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong SAR China:
- Labour Department - The Employment Ordinance, Cap. 57- Labour Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Labour Department - General Holidays and Employment Legislation (Substitution of Holidays)(Amendment) Ordinance 2011- Labour Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Celebrate With These Time-Honoured Chinese Festivities- Hong Kong Tourism Board
- How to Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong- Hong Kong Tourism Board
- LCQ7: Arrangements regarding additional or substituted general holidays- The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region