Cheung Chau bun festival features parade and bun scramble

Throngs of revelers gathered on Hong Kong’s outlying island of Cheung Chau to celebrate the century old bun festival, a tradition rooted in prayers for peace and blessings. Residents and tourists braved the heat to watch children in costumes take part in the parade known as Piu Sik, which translates as floating colors. Dressed as legendary deities, historic characters, or local politicians, children were carried on stands above the crowds as the procession moved through the island’s narrow lanes.

The highlight of the festival is the bun scrambling competition, which takes place around midnight. Participants climb a tower covered with plastic buns, collecting them within a time limit. Buns carry different scores depending on their location, and the participant with the highest total score wins. An additional award, the Full Pockets of Lucky Buns, is given to the participant who collects the greatest number of buns in the allotted time.

The race was suspended for decades after bun towers collapsed in 1978, injuring dozens of people. The tradition resumed in 2005.

According to Hong Kong’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, the festival dates back to legends of a devastating plague...