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Remembrance Day (Hong Kong)

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Remembrance Day
The giving of flowers in memory of lives lost at The Cenotaph
Observed by Hong Kong
TypeHistorical
SignificanceMemorial of lives lost in World War I、World War II, and the Battle of Hong Kong.
ObservancesFlower giving, mourning
Date2nd Sunday of November
2023 dateNovember 12
2024 dateNovember 10
FrequencyAnnual
Related toRemembrance Day, Liberation Day
The Cenotaph, located in Statue Square, Central opens on Remembrance Day
Red poppy wreaths placed around The Cenotaph
US military representatives attending the Remembrance Day ceremony

Remembrance Day is a anniversary in Hong Kong initially celebrating the end of World War I,[1] and was later expanded to commemorate the lives lost in the Battle of Hong Kong and World War II.[2] The anniversary was initially celebrated annually on November 10, and is now celebrated on the second Sunday of November. On Remembrance Day, memorial ceremonies take place at the Cenotaph in Central.

Origins & evolution

On November 11, 1918, the German Empire signed the Armistice and surrendered to the Allies, marking the end of World War I. Since 1911, the British Hong Kong government declared November 11 as the annual Remembrance Day.[3] Every year, the Governor of Hong Kong, government officials and Legislative Council members attend the memorial event at Statue Square in Central. The Cenotaph, which is located on the square, was constructed in 1923.[4]

On August 15, 1945, World War II ended. Compared to the mostly European World War I, Hong Kong was devastated in the Battle of Hong Kong and suffered severe casualties. This led to a change in Remembrance Day, which was changed to the second Sunday of November every year. The Hong Kong government declared August 30 as Liberation Day, a public holiday, to celebrate the end of Japanese occupation. The celebration of the end of World War I was celebrated on Remembrance Day, while the celebration of World War II was celebrated on Liberation Day. Both anniversaries were celebrated in Statue Square.[5]

The memorial ceremonies of Remembrance Day were originally celebrated in three locations: the Hong Kong Zoo, Statue Square, and St. John's Cathedral. Since 1981, the ceremonies were combined and celebrated at Statue Square, where the Cenotaph was located. Originally, only 1914-1918 was engraved on the Cenotaph as the duration of World War I. After Hong Kong was liberated in 1945, 1939-1945 was engraved below the original engraving as the duration of World War II. In the 1980s, the Chinese characters 英魂不朽 浩氣長存 were engraved on the sides to match the original English text "The Glorious Dead". This was done to show respect to the soldiers who died in the wars and in memory of soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect Hong Kong.[6]

Post handover

After the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997, Liberation Day was once replaced by Victory over Japan Day, which was also celebrated on August 30. On September 9, 1998, the Legislative Council passed the Revised Holiday Draft of 1998,[7] which canceled Victory over Japan Day (Liberation Day before July 1, 1997).[8] The holiday was replaced by Buddah's Birthday and the ceremonies in memory of the end of World War II were combined anc celebrated with Remembrance Day.[9] Nowadays, Remembrance Day is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of November,[10] and the mourning ceremonies are mainly carried out by Hong Kong Military Veterans.[11]

Since 2023, the ceremonies have fully replaced the century-old British military step with the Chinese one used in Mainland China.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "11月11日的意義 — Remembrance Day，和平紀念日". 立場新聞. 2015-11-11. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  2. ^ "和平紀念日獻花 悼念大戰犠牲軍民". 東方日報. 2014-11-09. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  3. ^ "中環皇后像廣場和平紀念日悼念儀式 英外交部官員出席". 香港01. 2018-11-11. Archived from the original on 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  4. ^ "【和平紀念日】1919年的和平紀念日要點過？". 港識多史. Archived from the original on 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  5. ^ "皇后像廣場及和平紀念碑". 建築署. Archived from the original on 2019-10-27. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  6. ^ "宣布和平紀念碑為古蹟" (PDF). 古物諮詢委員會. Retrieved 2020-11-14.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "會議過程正式紀錄P.63-88" (PDF). 香港特別行政區立法會. 1998-09-09. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  8. ^ "《1998年假期(修訂)條例草案》委員會報告" (PDF). 香港特別行政區立法會. 1998-07-16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  9. ^ "我們丟失的不只是一天假期 遺忘了的重光紀念日". 蘋果日報. 2012-08-26. Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  10. ^ "和平紀念日悼死難者". 蘋果日報. 2016-11-14. Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  11. ^ "一戰和平紀念日悼念活動如期舉行 參加者需遵守防疫限制". 香港01. 2020-10-30. Archived from the original on 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  12. ^ Remembrance Day Hong Kong (2023-11-12). "Photos from today's ceremony in Statue Square". Facebook.
  13. ^ "一戰停戰一世紀 白頭洋漢中環賣紅花 訴說被遺忘的香港魂". 香港01. 2018-11-10. Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
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