Overview
- The island festival attracted many residents and tourists to Cheung Chau for processions, performances and the centerpiece bun-scrambling contest.
- A colorful Piu Sik parade featured children in costume carried above narrow lanes to represent deities and local figures.
- Competitors climbed a tower covered in plastic buns at midnight and collected buns that carry different scores with the top scorer winning the “Full Pockets of Lucky Buns” award.
- Organizers trace the ritual to a legend about prayers that ended a plague and paused the scramble after a 1978 tower collapse until safety-focused changes led to its 2005 return.
- The festival now supports local tourism and souvenir sales of buns marked with the characters for “peace” and “safety,” reinforcing cultural memory while drawing visitors to the island.