Bun-snatching Competition

Bun-Scrambling-Competition-Cheung-Chau-Island.jpg
20080512 103153 Bun Festival 316.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

Bun-snatching Competition
Bun-scrambling Competition
Bun-grabbing Competition
搶包山比賽

Subject

Competition

Description

Three conical 60-feet bamboo towers covered in Ping On steamed buns would be erected outside of Pak Tai Temple. This competition consists of participants scrambling up a bun tower and trying to grab as many buns into their bags as possible within the 3-minute time limit. The higher-up the buns, the more points they are worth. Relay races were added in 2006. Held on the last day of the weeklong festival, is the highlight of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival.

Creator

Cheung Chau residents

Date

Eighth Day of the Fourth Lunar Month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar annually

Rights

Only selected participants are allowed to compete

Relation

Pak Tai Temple
1978 Collapse of a Bun Tower
Ping On Bun

Type

Event

Identifier

buncompetition17

Coverage

17th century Qing Dynasty
1800s

Date Modified

2005
2006

Event Item Type Metadata

Held on

Last day
Midnight

Duration

3 minutes per round
Around 1 hour total

Participants

Selected contestants
Cheung Chau current residents
Visitors
Organising committee

History

Ping On buns were originally made as offerings to Pak Tai and were stacked in front of the temple. Since they represent fortune, the villagers would snatch them from the piles. This is also known as "搶孤", a Southern Fujian and Chaozhou custom. Soon, families were sending their strongest to grab the buns from the top.

Geolocation

Item Relations

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