HONG KONG (AP) 鈥� Hong Kong’s iconic drew throngs of revelers to the densely populated city’s outlying island, Cheung Chau, to celebrate a that is rooted in prayers for peace and blessings.
Residents and tourists braved the heat to watch children in costumes take part in a parade, called 鈥淧iu Sik,鈥� which translates as 鈥渇loating colors.鈥� Children dressed as legendary deities, historic characters or local politicians were carried on stands above the crowds, moving through the island鈥檚 narrow lanes.
The festival highlight is the 鈥渂un-scrambling鈥� competition around midnight, where participants climb a tower covered with plastic buns. They have to collect buns, which carry different scores depending on their locations, within a time limit. The one who earns the highest total score wins. But the participant who gets the greatest number of buns in the time allotted will receive the 鈥淔ull Pockets of Lucky Buns鈥� award.
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, legends say Cheung Chau was once devastated by a plague and some residents then invited monks and Taoist priests to set up a sacrificial altar near a temple to pray to deities. They also paraded deity statues along village lanes. After the ritual, the plague ceased and Cheung Chau residents have since been organizing the event, also known as the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, to dispel disaster and pray for blessings for peace and safety, the office said.
The festival has become one of the most popular events for tourists in in recent years. Many people like to buy steamed buns carrying the Chinese characters for 鈥減eace鈥� and 鈥渟afety鈥� or souvenirs modeled on the buns.
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