Macao SARE Day 2023: Date, History, How to get involved

Macao SARE Day is annually observed on December 20. This date has been observed as Macao SARE Day, or Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day, since 1999. In Portuguese, it is also referred to as “Dia Comemorativo do Estabelecimento da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau.” It is the date on which, in 1999, the Chinese government formally proclaimed Macao its own. It signifies the conclusion of Macao’s colonial era. This designates the area as a relatively autonomous region that upholds distinct administrative, legal, and judicial systems in contrast to the remainder of the People’s Republic of China.

Macao SARE Day: History

Macao is situated on the western bank of the Pearl River estuary, on the southern coast of China. It is delimited to the east and south by the South China Sea. Taipa, Macao Peninsula, and Coloane comprise the territory. Urbanization is concentrated on the Macao Peninsula, where the majority of the island’s inhabitants reside.

Macao was founded by the Portuguese as a staging port on their long voyage from Lisbon to Nagasaki and as a trading post for China-Japan trade upon their arrival in the 16th century. In 1547, when Chinese officials outlawed direct trade with Japan, Portuguese merchants transported goods between the two countries. The Portuguese, subsequent to establishing a permanent settlement in 1557, remunerated the Ming Dynasty of China with an annual rent of silver until 1887. They remained and introduced the Chinese way of life into their culture.

On April 25, 1974, the armed forces carried out the Carnation Revolution, a nearly bloodless coup. Soldiers loaded the blossoms they were given into the barrels of their firearms rather than firing. It put an end to over four decades of autocratic rule and brought down the longest-lasting authoritarian regime in European history. The forthcoming ruling administration devised strategies to voluntarily cede all foreign territories. In June 1986, negotiations between the administrations of Portugal and China commenced regarding the sovereignty of Macao. The following year, both nations entered into a Joint Declaration designating Macao as a Special Administrative Region of China. Over ten years later, China proceeded to assert its sovereignty over Macao. Subsequent to that, the economy has sustained its development through the establishment of new casinos and the expansion of tourism from mainland China.

5 FUN FACTS ABOUT MACAO

• Asia’s first and last European colony

The Portuguese handed Macao over to China in 1999.

• Home to all legal casinos in China

Macao is known as the “Las Vegas of the East” due to its 40 casinos.

• The highest commercial bungee jump in the world

At 764 feet or 233 meters, the Macao Tower holds the Guinness World Record for the highest bungee jump.

• It has the world’s highest population density

Even though the territory is only 13 square miles or 30.5 square kilometers, it is home to 667,400 people.

• First figure-8 Ferris wheel in the world

With a height of 426 feet or 130 meters, Studio City’s Golden Reel is Asia’s highest ferris wheel.

MACAO SARE DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	December 20	Wednesday
2024	December 20	Friday
2025	December 20	Saturday
2026	December 20	Sunday
2027	December 20	Monday