Queen Elizabeth II vs Buddha - Buddha’s Birthday

Buddha’s Birthday (24th May) in Hong Kong, sees the revered deity taken out for his yearly bath. Buddhist temples around Hong Kong celebrate by putting on ceremonies to worship Buddha, devotees and tourists are more than welcome to watch. Although Buddha’s birthday isn’t as exciting as many of Hong Kong’s Traditional Chinese Festivals, the occasion is refreshingly spiritual and definitely relaxing.

One person unlikely to be celebrating Buddha’s birthday is HM the Queen of England. While Hong Kong was a British colony, the Queens birthday was one of the city’s public holidays. However, since the British sailed away, the Queen has fallen off the birthday card list and had her official birthday taken off the books. The replacement, you guessed it, the big man himself, Buddha?

Find out more about Buddha’s Birthday celebrations in our Guide to Buddha’s Birthday.