Cheung Chau Bun Festival, a week-long Hong Kong traditional
festival that features on a large, colorful street procession and a
race of the bun towers climbing competition, attracted about 24,000
visitors by Friday afternoon.
The festival is one of the major item of Hong Kong Tourism
Board's (HKTB) newly launched Culture and Heritage Celebration
program, which is aimed at attracting one million overseas
tourists.
The HKTB has invested about 9 million HK dollars (US$1.16
million) in the project.
As Friday is a public holiday in Hong Kong, many citizens and
tourists took ferry boats to the Cheung Chau Island early in the
morning.
The festival was originally launched for preying for peace and
good luck, as well as driving away evil spirit of the plague.
Enormous bamboo towers studded with white Chinese bun and
effigies of three gods dominated the ground near the Pak Tai
Temple, where the main festivities take place.
The large street procession for good luck preying started Friday
afternoon, featuring costumed children on stilts in a carnival
atmosphere that wound its way through the streets.
Apart from the lion and dragon dances, children disguised
themselves in different roles and their parents held them on the
shoulders during the parade.
The climax of the festival would be the bun tower climbing
competition, which is scheduled to start at Friday's midnight.
Organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Culture and
Heritage Celebration is one of the highlights of Discover Hong Kong
Year. It showcases four traditional festivals including birthdays
of deities Tin Hau the Lord Buddha and Tam Kung, and Cheung Chau
Bun Festival and promotes local celebration activities.
Over 30 ferry boats were added for taking visitors to the Chaung
Chau Island in the daytime.
(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2006)