 The old-style "Bun Mountain" made up of bamboo sticks Bun Festival (太平清醮 in Chinese, "醮" being a Taoist sacrificial ceremony) is a traditional Chinese festival in Hong Kong. It is held by several (mostly rural) communities, either annually or once every few years. File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ...
A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. ...
By far the most famous is the Bun Festival at Cheung Chau, which draws tens of thousands of local and overseas tourists every year. The festival is staged every year on the island of Cheung Chau to mark the Eighth day of the Fourth Moon, in the Chinese calendar (usually in early May). It thus coincides with the local celebration of Buddha's Birthday. Cheung Chau (長洲; lit. ...
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar formed by combining a purely lunar calendar with a solar calendar. ...
Buddhas Birthday, the birthday of the Gautama Buddha, is traditionally celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month in the Chinese calendar. ...
The Bun Festival began as a ritual for fishing communities to pray for safety from pirates. Today this religious origin has largely been forgotten, and the festival has become a showcase of traditional Chinese culture above all else. A pirate is one who robs or plunders at sea without a commission from a recognised sovereign nation. ...
The Chinese Dragon, Fu dog and religious incense comprise three pervasive symbols of traditional Chinese culture. ...
History
One of the reputed origins of this festival is that in the 18th Century, the island of Cheung Chau was devastated by a plague and infiltrated by pirates — until local fishermen brought an image of the god Pak Tai to the island. Paraded through the village lanes, the deity drove away evil spirits. Villagers too disguised themselves as different deities and walked around the island to drive away the evil spirits responsible for the plague. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...
Cheung Chau (長洲; lit. ...
Plague redirects here. ...
This article is about sea pirates. ...
Pak Tai (北帝; pinyin Bei Di) is a Taoist god of the North. ...
The Bun Festival in Cheung Chau
Vegetarian
A notice shows that MacDonald's selling vegetarian burgers Every year on the 8th day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the islanders organise a week-long thanksgiving, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival (usually in April or May). The festival lasts for seven days. On three of these days the entire island goes vegetarian; even the island's famous seafood restaurants have to abide by this tradition, and the local McDonald's restaurant has to sell veggie burgers made by mushrooms. Download high resolution version (558x800, 191 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
Download high resolution version (558x800, 191 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
A lunar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates the moon phase. ...
For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ...
McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants [1]. Although McDonalds did not invent the hamburger or fast food, its name has become nearly synonymous with both. ...
Basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the fungus Leucocoprinus sp. ...
Parade of floats / Parade-in-the-air No Chinese festival is complete without lion dances and dragon dances, but this island's quirk is the children dressed as legendary and modern heroes suspended above the crowds on the tips of swords and paper fans. They form the parade-in-the-air (飄色巡遊) and are all safely secured within steel frames, though they appear to glide through the air. The "airborne children" budge by a hair's breadth and their eyes can be parly closed under hot weathers. This article needs cleanup. ...
Head of dragon dance costume Double dragon dance at Chongqing, China, September 28, 2002, during a weeklong celebration of modern Chinas National Day (October 1st) Dragon dance (Chinese: 舞龍; pinyin: wǔ lóng) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture. ...
Though such treatment of children may be unsettling to a Western mindset it is such a unique festival that anthropologists are haggard to it every year and parents consider it a great honour for their offspring to be part of the parade.
This fascinating procession is accompanied by the bedlam of musicians loudly beating gongs and drums to scare away evil spirits. It is led by a spectacular image of Pak Tai, the God of Water and Spirit of the North, to whom the island's Temple of the Jade Vacuity is dedicated. Pak Tai (北帝; pinyin Bei Di) is a Taoist god of the North. ...
Deities Here are some divinities Cheung Chau people would celebrate in the festival: Cheung Chau (長洲; lit. ...
Pak Tai Since Cheung Chau is traditionally an island of fisherfolk, Pak Tai is its most revered divinity, since it is believed that he has the power to confer smooth sailing for the fishing boats and good catches for their crews. Pious believers recognise him as "Pei Fang Chen Wu Hsuan T'ien Shang Ti" (True Soldier and Superior Divinity of the Deep Heaven of the North). File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
Pak Tai (北帝; pinyin Bei Di) is a Taoist god of the North. ...
Tin Hau The second of the significant deities whose images add a supplementary splatter of Oriental holiness to the pageant is the much-revered Tin Hau (Goddess of the Seas and protector of all fishermen and boat people). Celebrated for providing warnings of imminent storms and saving countless lives from wreckage, she is in many ways Pak Tai's competitor for the fondness of the fisherfolk. Matsu (媽祖, pinyin: Māzǔ, Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu, lit. ...
Other god and goddess Two more Gods complete the celestial divinities taking part in the parade: Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy with her tranquil and ever compassionate smile) and Hung Hsing (the terrifying God of the South with his menacing head-dress, unkind face, bushy black beard, and stave at the ready to chastise all enemies). Kannon statue in Daienin, Mt. ...
Bun scrambling
 Steamed buns for the "Bun Mountain", being stamped the crimson characters of "peace" The centrepiece of the festival are the "Bun Mountains" or "Bun Towers", three giant 60-feet bamboo towers covered with buns. Historically, young men would race up the tower to get hold of the buns; the higher the bun, the better fortune it was supposed to bring to the holder's family; the race was known as "Bun-snatching". However, during a race in 1978 one of the towers collapsed, causing injuries to more than 100 people. Since then the buns would be handed out to anyone who joins the queue. It is these bun-covered towers that give the festival its name. File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
Genera Many, see text Bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae. ...
A tower is a high structure, usually man-made. ...
A bun is a sweet or plain small bread or a round roll. ...
1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...
The "Bun Mountains" are placed on the area in front of the Pak Tai temple.
During the festival, Chinese operas, lion dances, and religious services take place on the island. 19th century Chinese opera Chinese opera costumes Chinese opera is a popular form of drama in China. ...
This article needs cleanup. ...
Burning of paper effigies At a quarter to midnight a paper effigy of the King of the Ghosts is set ablaze, enormous incense sticks are lit and the buns are harvested and distributed to the villagers, who, pleased to be sharing in this propitious good fortune, rejoice late into the night. Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic, or simply aesthetic purposes as it smolders. ...
Return of bun-snatching
 Steel framework, instead of bamboo, of the "Bun Mountains" As above mentioned, the bun-snatching ritual was abandoned due to the 1978 tragedy by the government. But still a large proportion of Cheng Chau villagers regard this as their part and parcel of their daily life, and the precious culture of Hong Kong to boot. In addition to the villagers' immense urge to resume the ritual, a local cartoon movie My life as McDull has recalled the forlorn ceremony, giving a tinge of nostalgia to its audience. So the long-waiting ritual was reintroduced on May 15, 2005. Safety measures were greatly improved: only 12 well-trained atheletics selected from preliminary competitions were permitted to climb on ONE single "Bun Mountain"; instead of bamboo, the framework of the "Bun Mountains" was made up of steel. File links The following pages link to this file: Bun Festival Categories: GFDL images ...
1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...
The culture of Hong Kong is characterised by the mix of Asian (mainly south Chinese) and Western influences, as well as the status of the city as a major international business centre. ...
My life as McDull is an animation film from Hong Kong, released in 2001. ...
May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ...
2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...
Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ...
More about My life as McDull and bun-snatching My life as McDull was a sizable hit in 2001's Christmas, this Hong Kong animated feature wass obviously targeted at children. Aside from the cute character designs, however, My Life as McDull had also shown many renowned qualities of Hong Kong people—hard-working, carefree, and never say die. The "Hong Kong dream" depicted in the film has charmed many of its audience. The animation is aided by computer-generated backgrounds, but it retains a delightful hand-drawn look that is pleasing to the movie-goers. In a part of the film, McDull decides to train to turn out to be an Olympic-level athlete like Hong Kong Olympian Lee Lai-shan. However, the trade he learns is Cheng Chau bun-snatching. Realising that bun-snatching in no formal sports game in the Olympic games, McDull’s mother writes a letter to the chairman of International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ask him/her to sanctify the so-called sports event with her limited proficiency of English. My life as McDull is an animation film from Hong Kong, released in 2001. ...
2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
McDull (麥兜) is a cartoon pig character that was created in Hong Kong by Alice Mak and Brian Tse (who also created another cartoon pig called McMug). ...
Lee Lai-Shan (Traditional Chinese: 李麗珊) (born September 5, 1970) is a Hong Kong-born windsurfer. ...
For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ...
The International Olympic Committee is an organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organise this sports event every four years. ...
Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ...
Some people think that the Hong Kong Tourism Board promotes the forlorn ritual thanks to the unanticipated box-office success. There is a laughing stock, though, that the Secretary for Home Affair, Patrick Ho Chi-ping, said he might contact IOC later on in order to formalise the "sports". He even told to the public that the bun-snatching ceremony can be varied into many other events, like cake-snatching ceremony, doll-snatching ceremony, etc.. Patrick Ho Chi-ping JP is Hong Kongs Secretary of Home Affairs. ...
Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ...
McDull and the bun-snatching master McDull and the bun-stealing master. ...
McDull and the bun-stealing master. ...
See also The culture of Hong Kong is characterised by the mix of Asian (mainly south Chinese) and Western influences, as well as the status of the city as a major international business centre. ...
Chinese mythology is the mythology of Chinese civilization. ...
External links - Cheung Chau Bun Festival at cheungchau.org (http://www.cheungchau.org/)
- Cheung Chau Bun Festival at discoverhongkong.com (http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/heritage/festivals/he_fest_cheu.jhtml)
- Cheung Chau Bun Festival at hkfastfacts.com (http://www.hkfastfacts.com/Chinese%20Festivals/bunFestival/BunFestival.html)
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