Cheung Chau Bun Festival

The festival coincides with the holiday for Lord Buddha’s Birthday. It celebrates on Cheung Chau Island.

Celebration
In this festival, children dress in vibrant and complex costumes and parade across the island. The parades feature gong and drum performances intended to drive away bad spirits. Opera performances can also be held. Sweet lotus bean buns are eaten as a reminder of early traditions considered to appease the spirits those who perished in a 19th-century plague.

Bun towers are assembled with bamboo structures 60 foot high, stacked with sweet buns, outside the Pak Tai temple. It was designed to appease the spirits of the people who died in a 19th century plague on the island. Buns are distributed towards the believers after the service. You can even purchase these buns from local bakers.

The entire isle will go vegetarian three days ahead of the procession. You won’t locate any meat and eggs in restaurants. Butchers just have a few days’ rest. Most restaurants sell vegetarian dishes and a few just close. Nonbelievers need to purchase meat from Hong Kong island on those few days!

For more infomation, please visit,  http://www.cheungchau.org/