Hong Kong coming alive with festivals

Start planning an exhilarating trip this summer that will give your family and friends a chance to experience unique local colour in different parts of the city.
The first is the Cheung Chau Bun Festival today (April 30) through May 4. You can witness and participate in an authentic festival that started hundreds of years ago to drive away evil spirits responsible for a plague. 
Celebrants don disguises as different deities while children dress as venerated gods in the Piu Sik (Floating Colours) Parade that winds its way through the narrow streets on the tiny island of Cheung Chau all the way to the Pak Tai Temple. At nightfall, athletes will scramble up a 20-metre steel tower in a contest to grab as many “lucky” buns as possible off the top.
The Birthday of Buddha Festival continuing through May 3 marks the Lord Buddha’s birthday at temples across the city. Devotees gather to bathe Buddha statues with sacral water in a ritual believed to help purify their own souls. 
The Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, home to the Big Buddha statue, will host one of its grandest ceremonies along with a cultural variety show and exciting demonstrations of kung fu by Shaolin monks.
From May 3 to 5 there’ll be a large-scale blessing ceremony at the Hong Kong Coliseum, with bathing rituals and charity-sale booths. May 4 sees a Buddha’s Birthday Charity Concert with many organisations and artists participating.
The Birthday of Tam Kung Festival on May 3 honours a local deity respected for his ability to forecast the weather and heal the sick. It features classic dragon and lion dances and a colourful street parade. Tam Kung Temple in the Shau Kei Wan area near Aldrich Bay will be buzzing with activity, prayers, pomp and fanfare.
In contrast to the familiar modern and metropolitan lifestyle of Hong Kong, the unique historical and cultural aspects of the city offers a refreshing and fascinating escape for visitors. 
Booklets containing travel-discount coupons are being distributed for free at Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong Tourism Board visitor centres and many hotels. 
Find out more at www.DiscoverHongKong.com.