When it comes to traveling to Hong Kong for winter vacations, it is more likely that traditional celebrations of this season run away with your mind, bringing images of the Chinese New Year's Parade, which is in fact, one of the main seasonal attractions in the city. However, Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842, and the Opium War of 1860 left the city as a British Protectorate until the year 2000, when Hong Kong returned to China's hands. History made this place a cosmopolitan city where visitors can enjoy a traditional Christmas pudding cake, or a New Year's dinner with a Cantonese touch. In fact, many hotels in Hong Kong offer special packages from late November to mid-February to cover all the seasonal events, including the Chinese New Year.
On the island side, some of the most popular hotels include the Charterhouse Empire, Hotel Causeway Bay, South Pacific Hotel, Novotel Century, Grand Hyatt. JW Marriott Hotel, Ritz Carlton Hong Kong and Harbour Plaza North Point. Hong Kong's Kowloon area has many other reputable hotels, including the YMCA International House, The Imperial Hotel, Ramada Hotel Kowloon, Royal Pacific Tower, and the Nikko hotel Inter-Continental Hong Kong.
Whether booking your lodging in the traditional district, in Kowloon, the new territories or the outlaying island, Christmas and New Years celebrations in Hong Kong are seasonal events. Chinese New Year in Hong Kong last for three days and it is coming next February 18, 2007. The new moon comes to end for the Year of the Dog and welcomes the Year of the Boar, which is the twelfth animal of the Chinese horoscope that.
Even though Christmas is celebrated much like any other big city of the world there is also a Western-like New Year’s parade with fireworks. Dragon dancers are the main attraction of the New Year Parade, going from one point to another on the island, spreading the good wishes and scaring away the evil spirits that were left from the previous year. Christmas celebrations not only attract many international visitors to Hong Kong to see how the Orient celebrates holidays, but it also attracts performers from all over the world who meet in Hong Kong.
Hotels in Hong Kong decorate Christmas trees and are dressed in colorful decorations throughout December, but many other decorated floats remain until the Chinese new year, when music, dance and street entertainers take over all the streets, starting from the Harbour front.
Christmas lights are substituted by paper lanterns that hang between buildings. Candles are placed inside the lantern to create a colorful glow through out Hong Kong streets. They are usually made from red paper and golden ink, symbolizing happiness, prosperity, healing, and good fortune.
Hong Kong is filled with flower displays all over the island. There will be literally millions of people on the streets, crowded on the streets of Hong Kong celebrating for days and creating an atmosphere like you will never see in any other city around the world. A great display of fireworks and firecrackers over Victoria Harbor announces the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
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