Guest guest Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Traditional, Quirky, Experimental and Delicious Spring Festivals By Charis Atlas Heelan February 26, 2008 Bun Festival, Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong -- 12 May 2008 We all love a bit of dim sum, but the residents of Cheung Chau, Hong Kong's largest fishing island take this food fascination to a new extreme with the world's only festival dedicated to the bun. Each May, the people of the island eat a vegetarian diet for three days prior to the main procession, when 50-foot-high decorated bamboo towers are erected in front of the Pak Tai temple and adorned with thousands of steaming buns as an offering to the ancient Chinese spirits. The buns are thought to ensure safe passage for their fishing boats and bring bountiful catches. This Taoist ritual can be traced to the origins of the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century. Apart from buns for the gods, there are plenty of buns for everyone to eat, plus processions of lion and dragon dancers, and strangely, children dressed as mythological heroes suspended above the crowds on the tips of swords and paper fans (but secured with harnesses that are difficult to see -- so they appear to be floating). The festivities culminate at midnight with the burning of a paper effigy of the King of Ghosts, the lighting of giant incense sticks and the distribution of buns. For more information, visit www.cheungchau.org. http://www.frommers.com/articles/4987.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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