Meagan's World: Cheung Chau Bun Festival

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

The day after e got back from Singapore, it was the Annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. Cheung Chau is a little island that is part of Hong Kong, and the bun festival is unique to the island. I am not sure the exact history behind it, but I do know that it is somehow in honor of a god, and that it is a major source of community pride for Cheung Chau residents. This year was special because they brought back the annual Bun Tower Scramble, in which people compete to climb a giant tower covered with steamed buns. The buns are good luck and whoever gathers the most from the tower has the most luck. Buns are distributed to island residents so that they will have good luck for the next year. Also, the buns that are higher to the top are luckier. They had banned the bun climb cause many years ago the bun tower collapsed and people died. They brought it back this year, but the climbers had to have practice sessions and they were wearing rock climbing gear.

Matt and I made the trek out to Cheung Chau for the parade that precedes the Bun Tower Scramble. It was HOT and crowded and we could barely see anything. From what we could tell, the parade consisted of children dressed up in fancy outfits being held above the crowd and people doing the lion dance. It was interesting but there was a huge line to catch the ferry back to Hong Kong, and it was really hot, and if you have ever seen Chinese people lining up you will know why I didn't want to come back at night for the Bun Tower Scramble. Chinese people don't think of lines as places where you give others space to breathe, and you respect that people in front of you are actually in front of you. If you give them an inch of room to either side of you, they will violently shove you aside and stand in front of you. Old ladies are the worst about this. If you even look like you have a shadow of fear or doubt on your face, they will take advantage of it! It can be quite frustrating! I think Matt saw my blood boiling and he told me to take it easy, but hey, I don't like being shoved around!

Grandma didn't come with us because she was tired from our Singapore adventures. I think that she is a very smart woman! I think I fried my brain in Cheung Chau!