When Christmas in Hong Kong made a change from steaming tropics
For European expats based further south, Hong Kong provided an authentically chilly Christmas experience, writes Jason Wordie
Hong Kong’s much-advertised Christmas consumption fest is finally over for another year. Eating, drinking, party-going and excess-induced biliousness are now making way for New Year’s resolutions.
Worldwide, Christmas celebrations have gradually changed over time, in terms of symbolic meaning, practical function and broader community participation. In Hong Kong, Christmas festivities have exponentially widened from a religious holiday centred on at least some Christian belief, with European traditions predominantly celebrated among that section of the population, to today’s overwhelmingly secularised, “something for everyone” consumerist orgy.
In the late 19th century, Hong Kong became a favoured destination for Europeans working in the Far East to enjoy a “local” leave.
In the days when a longer “home” leave only came around every three to five years (depending on one’s contract), a shorter holiday somewhere that did get cold for a few months was a popular option. It offered a welcome change of climate, scene and pace.
Hong Kong at Christmas time ticked many boxes. For those in Malaya, Singapore and Borneo, it was only a few days away by sea, which made a fortnight’s holiday possible. Hong Kong had a big enough European population for a variety of traditional pastimes, such as carol services conducted by one of the Christian sects and a market; the sizeable local German community before world war one meant that popular Central European seasonal foods, such as rich pastries, were available.
