China Bun Festival
Cheung Chau, Island District
cheungchau.org
It’s not every day that you see people racing up bamboo poles that are covered in sticky buns - unless you’re on Cheung Chen Island, where such a spectacle marks the climax of the annual Bun Festival.
Origins of the Bun Festival are not well known. One explanation is that the celebration commemorates when a plague invaded and villagers drove it away. Regardless of what legend you believe, join the thousands who gather on this small island each year to enjoy countless parades and performances. On the fourth and final day of celebrations, several 16m bamboo poles are erected and covered in buns as offerings to spirits. Typically men race up the poles, collecting as many buns as possible on their way to the top. If you’re feeling especially festive then take the mandatory “bun climbing” course and join the race. The harder part will be explaining your latest adventure to your friends back home without sounding slightly insane.
Origins of the Bun Festival are not well known. One explanation is that the celebration commemorates when a plague invaded and villagers drove it away. Regardless of what legend you believe, join the thousands who gather on this small island each year to enjoy countless parades and performances. On the fourth and final day of celebrations, several 16m bamboo poles are erected and covered in buns as offerings to spirits. Typically men race up the poles, collecting as many buns as possible on their way to the top. If you’re feeling especially festive then take the mandatory “bun climbing” course and join the race. The harder part will be explaining your latest adventure to your friends back home without sounding slightly insane.
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