Yesterday was the Buddha's Birthday holiday in Hong Kong. It was also the date of one of the great annual events in Hong Kong, the Bun Carnival on Cheung Chau Island. Unfortunately, I missed it but see my strategies below for overcoming the problem of getting to the island...maybe, next year.
This is the only festival I've heard of that features buns, the Chinese variety. of course, steamed not baked. What makes this event totally unique is the bun scrambling competition up a 14 meter high tower. There are both relay and individual races.
The origins of the Bun Festival are unclear. While many people relate it to misfortunes brought by pirates and disease during the latter part of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), some people believe it was originally held on Hong Kong Island, in Taiping Shan, where many people were killed by bubonic plague.
Somebody asked Pak Tei, a local Huizhou deity, to stop the plague Other residents joined his prayers and the disease subsided. Later, the festival was banned in Taiping Shan because of fire regulations. The festival was then transferred to Cheung Chau, where there was a strong Huizhou community.
In 1978, the cone-shaped tower, then constructed of bamboo, collapsed injuring a number of people. Government bureaucrats, as they often do, over-reacted and the event was cancelled until 2005, when steel "A" frames replaced the bamboo cones. Only took them 27 years to figure it out. This year the bun competition was further diluted when plastic buns were substituted for the real thing. It appears the authorities were afraid someone might get sick from eating a three day old bun.
This year, 50,000 people showed up to watch the parade of children on floats dressed as prominent figures from politics, sports and entertainment. Only 1500 people are allowed into the Bun Competition Venue, the Pak Tei Temple Soccer Pitch. People start queuing hours before the tickets are distributed at 9:45 P.M. The competition starts around 11:30 PM and ends at 12:45 AM or so the next day.
All the hotels and restaurants on the island are booked months, if not a year in advance. So, if you are considering attending next year's Carnival and want to spend the night, you had better start planning now. Most people just come for the day. First Ferry generally schedules a late boat to leave Cheung Chau for Hong Kong Island around 1:15 AM. There are plenty of opportunities to buy food from the dozens of hawkers that set up for the Carnival.
If the thought of being in a crowd of 50,000 people and standing in line for hours to see the competition turns you off, there is an alternative strategy. First, attend the Bun Tower Climbing practice sessions which are scheduled for the two week-ends prior to the carnival itself. Second, watch the competition on television from the comfort of your hotel or flat.
You can check for the 2009 dates at the Leisure and Cultural Services web site. I suspect they will be posted sometime in June, 2008.