Due to the health crisis, the last edition of the festival took place three years ago.
On Friday, thousands of people were able to reconnect with the tradition, and gathered on the island of Cheung Chau to celebrate the "Bun Festival": a colorful and costumed festival that ends with the climbing of towers covered with white bread or "buns".
At the stroke of midnight, twelve climbers will rush to the top of these steam-covered towers, while trying to collect as many as possible.
Competitors, climbed on a bamboo tower, collect imitations of buns, steamed buns, during the bun festival, May 26, 2023 on Cheung Chau Island, southwest of Hong Kong © ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP
"On days like this, Cheung Chau feels like the center of the world," Mabel Leung, a resident of the island, told AFP.
This tradition dates back to the late 19th century when, according to legend, fishermen on the island miraculously fended off pirates and the plague by holding a parade in honor of the Taoist deity of the sea, Pak Tai.
Statues of deities were once held up in the air, but they have been replaced by children in costumes hoisted on metal poles today.
This year, however, the political character of the festival was less present.
A dragon's head during the "Piu Sik" parade of the "bun" festival, on May 26, 2023 on Cheung Chau Island, southwest of Hong Kong © ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP
"It's not good to be too satirical," festival president Yung Chi-ming told reporters.
Hong Kong has seen its autonomy eroded since Beijing passed the national security law in 2020 to end protests at the time and silence dissent.
© 2023 AFP