Crowds flock to celebrate the century-old Bun Festival in Hong Kong

Crowds flocked to the outlying Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong to celebrate the Bun Festival, held each year in a century-old tradition to ward off evil and pray for peace and blessings. The festivities began with a parade of children in costumes, called “Piu Sik,” which translates as “floating color.” Children dressed as legendary deities or historic characters are carried on stands above the gathered crowds, meandering through the island’s narrow lanes. The highlight of the festival comes at midnight with a “bun-scrambling” competition, where climbers race up a tower covered with plastic buns. Whoever gets the most buns of greatest value wins the race. Buns near the top have higher value. The competition was suspended for decades after an accident in 1978 when a bun tower collapsed and caused injuries. The tradition resumed in 2005. Legend has it that the colorful custom began after a deadly plague devastated the island of Cheung Chau. Residents followed the local Taoist...