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Religion in Hong Kong is synonymous with the culture of Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong enjoy the religious freedom as one of their fundamental rights protected by the Basic Law and relevant legislation.
An array of religion including Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism are being practiced in Hong Kong. Besides offering religious instructions, several major religious bodies have established schools and provide social welfare services.
Buddhism and Taoism
Buddhism, a religion that originated in India and Taoism, a traditional Chinese religion, has a considerable number of followers in Hong Kong. There are over 600 temples in Hong Kong devoted to these two religions. The history of some of these temples is almost 700 years old, while some are of recent origin. The most important temples amongst these are the Wong Tai Sin Temple dedicated to the Taoist deity in the Wong Tai Sin District in Kowloon; the Chi Nin Nunnery in Diamond Hill constructed in architectural style of the Tang Dynasty and the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island famous for the outdoor bronze statue, Tian Tan Buddha. Confucianism Confucianism is a philosophy rather than a religion. It is a belief in the teachings of Confucius, a great Chinese philosopher who lived in ancient China from 551 to 479 BC. His teachings were founded on the moral code for human relations with special focus on the importance of tradition and rites. The political, economic and social systems of China are strongly influenced by the philosophy of Confucius. Confucius' Birthday that falls on the 27th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the biggest festival of Confucianism. The followers of Confucianism in Hong Kong are deeply involved in education and run number of local schools with an objective of promoting the teachings of Confucius.
Christianity
There are about 239, 400 Catholics in Hong Kong. The first Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong was established as a Mission Prefecture in 1841 and as an Apostolic Vicariate in 1874. It later became a diocese in 1946. There are total of 52 parishes comprising 40 churches, 30 chapels and 28 halls for religious service. The church services are conducted in Cantonese, with numerous parishes providing services in English and in some cases in Tagalog
as well. The diocese has established its own administrative structure while maintaining close links with the Pope and other Catholic communities around the world.
There are about 300,000 Protestant Christians in Hong Kong. The Protestant Church has over 1,300 congregations in more than 50 denominations. The Baptists form the largest denomination followed by the Lutherans. Other major denominations are Adventists, Anglicans, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ in China, Methodist, Pentecostal and Salvation Army. The Protestant churches are deeply involved in education, health care and social welfare.
Islam
Hong Kong has about 20,000 Muslims, the majority of whom are Chinese. The rest of them are from Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Middle Eastern and African countries. There are 4 principal mosques used daily for prayers. The oldest mosque is the Shelley Street Masjid on Hong Kong Island built originally in the 1840’s and again rebuilt in 1915. The other mosques are Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre in Nathan Road, the Masjid and Islamic Centre at Oi Kwan Road in Wan Chai and the Cape Collinson Muslim Cemetery. The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong co-ordinates religious affairs and manages mosques and Muslim cemeteries in Hong Kong.
Judaism
Jews are living in Hong Kong since 1840s. They worships at 4 main congregations, i.e., the Ohel Leah Synagogue (Orthodox), United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong (Reform) on Robinson Road, Chabad Lubavitch Shul in the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, Central and in Kehilat Zion - Hechal Ezra (Sephardi) in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Jewish Cemetery is located at Happy Valley, a historical site in Hong Kong.
Hinduism
There are about 15 000-strong Hindu community in Hong Kong centered around the Hindu Temple in Happy Valley. The Hindu Association of Hong Kong looks after the upkeep of the temple. The temple is also used for meditations, spiritual lectures, yoga classes and other community activities and celebration of Hindu festivals such as Diwali. Devotional music sessions and religious discourses are held every Sunday morning and Monday evening. Sikhism The Sikhs in Hong Kong are in minority. The Sikhs originally came to Hong Kong from the Punjab, in North India, as part of the British Armed Forces in the 19th century. The gurudwara in Wan Chai provides free meals and short-term accommodation to overseas visitors of any faith. The main holy days and festivals observed are the birthdays of Guru Nanak (founder of the faith), Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th Guru) and Baisakhi.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Hong_Kong
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