You can find out if you attend one of the world’s quirkiest, albeit tastiest, festivals in which residents of the Hong Kong island Cheung Chau celebrate the glutenous treats by racing up bamboo towers that are covered in buns. There’s a bit of a free-for-all as everyone grabs the goodies en route.
Why: Hong Kongese are divided on the fest’s origins: some say the bun festival began when villagers gorged themselves on pastries after a plague. Others say it used to be a ceremony to soothe ghosts of the plague’s victims. The connection between these events and the bun scramble? We bun-no.
Do it because: The higher up the competitors get in the main event, held on May 17 this year, the better their luck in future will be. If scaling piles of baked goods ain’t your thing, watching others doing it is just as entertaining.
May 14 – 18
cheungchau.org
Photo: Getty
