Talk on "Cheung Chau Jiao Festival" and Behind-the-Scene Look of the Piu Sik Floats

The Cheung Chau Jiao Festival is a folk tradition with a history of over a hundred years. It is held every year during the fourth lunar month on Cheung Chau Island, with the purpose of appeasing the ghosts and giving thanks to the deities for their protection of the island community.

 

The annual Jiao Festival is a cradle of colourful customs, folk arts and performances, ranging from the crafting of gigantic paper effigies, floats, bun towers, the making of lucky buns, to unicorn dance, shengongxi (thanksgiving plays), Taoist music and various ritual offerings.

 

But while you enjoy the thrill of the "bun scramble" and the spectacle of the colourful floats, wouldn't you be interested to know the meaning behind the Jiao Festival, the making technique of its unique floats, and perhaps, in particular, the secret behind the young actors' amazing ability to "float" in the air?

 

Come join this programme and you will have your answers. Our curator will take you to the Pak Tai Temple and to the main event venue, where you will experience the living heritage from both historical and cultural perspectives. Then you will visit a kaifong association which is participating in the piu sik parade. There you will take a literal "insiders' look" at how a float is set up. The master craftsman will also let you in on his secret of keeping the dressed-up child actor "afloat".