Cheung Chau Bun Festival
At the weeklong Cheung Chau Bun Festival on an outlying island of Hong Kong, a competition to grab faux steamed buns from a 60-foot tower isn’t even the grandest spectacle. The stars of the traditional Chinese celebration are the children of the Floating Colors parade. Dressed as deities or cultural figures, the youngsters are hoisted over the crowd, the rigging supporting them hidden by their elaborate costumes, giving the appearance they are gliding.
- Devotees pray in a temple during the annual Cheung Chau bun festival in Hong Kong on May 3, 2017.(ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A young girl dressed as a deity takes part in a parade during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A young girl dressed as chief executive-elect Carrie Lam prepares to take part in a parade during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A young girl dressed as a deity takes part in a parade during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong on May 3, 2017. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A young girl dressed as a deity takes part in a parade during the Cheung Chau bun festival on May 3, 2017. Tens of thousands gathered on the Hong Kong outlying island for one of its most colourful festivals, a whirlwind of music and costume culminating in a dramatic climb up a precipitous “bun tower.” (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A devotee places his joss stick in an urn at a temple during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong on May 3, 2017.(ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- Devotees light joss sticks in a temple during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong on May 3, 2017. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A devotee lights joss sticks in a temple during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- Bakers prepare during the annual Cheung Chau bun festival. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- A traditional bun baker holds a stamp, communicating peace and safety, used to mark buns made during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
- Buns are stamped with Chinese characters for peace and safety during the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)