Movimiento Travel

In Cheung Chau, an island of Hong Kong, every year a festival is held very original: the Festival of the buns. Everything about the festival is part of its history: a dark age in which it was believed that the island was cursed. To cope with the curse, the inhabitants made several sacrifices and rituals and scaring the demons and ghosts.

In the memory of these rituals comes this event today has become one of the most important of all China. Discover an unusual event full of color and pastries.

In late May of each year, residents of Cheung Chau and many curious passengers in the streets of the city to enjoy this event so special.

The festival is held on the island of the same name, which historically was the hideout of dozens of pirates. The islanders, when asked, mentioning two origins for the festival: a report that is to placate the ghosts of the victims of pirates, while others say the festival commemorating the survival plague 200 years ago in the domains of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when Cheung Chau was devastated by a storm. This disaster was followed by a great plague that took the lives of many. Believing that the island was cursed, people began to practice ceremonies and sacrifices to appease the wrath of the gods. The festival is of extraordinary dimensions and coincides with the birthday of Buddha. For all this, it is a unique event of its kind and an ideal opportunity for travelers to discover the essence of Chinese traditions and beliefs more remote.

In celebration, which lasts seven days, you can see rituals, dances, taste traditional local dishes, listen to Chinese songs and have fun. At this time also loves to Pak Tai, the Taoist god of the Sea, with a ritual procession in a march to the music of gongs and drums, all accompanied by adults and children dressed in many colors.

During the first three days, the entire island becomes a vegetarian. Even fast-food outlets offer meat: the menu changes drastically for veggie burgers and even hot dogs vegetarians.

Cheung Chau is a community that depends almost entirely on the sea for their life, since fishing is the main activity. In addition, motorized boats are prohibited on the island. This means that the port is filled with small boats bobbing peacefully ancient oriental style … It is an ideal place to relax and also to celebrate.

The towers of buns
No doubt the main attraction of this festival is climbing so-called “towers of buns.” These are huge bamboo structures, filled with sweet pastries like fruit hanging from tall trees. The towers of buns are located in front of Pak Tai Temple, the god who is devoted to the festival, built in 1783.

There are several temples in Hong Kong that honor to this god, who according to legend, the prince of evil began to heaven. Of greater importance to the residents of Cheung Chau is however its role as an advocate before the pirates who had released a series of attacks against the island. According to the myths, the attacks ceased once the temple was built.

The towers are built with bamboo to a height of 18 meters and then are filled with sweet buns. Since all the buns are blessed, once people climbed the tower to get their buns, but in 1978 one of these towers collapsed causing hundreds of injuries, so that until recently was banned climbing. However from 2005 onwards were established some very strict rules and this activity was glad that both the people was restored.

Furthermore, if the festival has even more flavor, buns are distributed to those attending the festival for free after the closing ceremony. Of course you can also buy these cakes in local bakeries.

The climb to the towers of buns
It is a strange and fascinating tradition: the sound of the gong competition starts, where the twelve participating climbers must climb the tower of cakes and breads to collect as many as possible, the higher are the rolls are worth more points. Now: they have only three minutes to get there. For added security, now the tower is now metal and the contestants wear a harness.

Win the challenge the climber to collect more points. How do they do? Some say it is easier to collect as many buns as possible, while others prefer those that are higher than are those with the highest score … Competition is not just an amazing show to win the game is quite an honor. Tradition determines that the family belongs to which contestant will be very lucky during that year, as it will with the blessing of the god Pak Tai.

Other gods
The festival not only dedicated to Pak Tai. The second of the deities who participated in this event is the highly revered Goddess Hau, who is the protector of the seas, fishermen and their boats. This goddess is worshiped to provide warnings of impending storms and save the lives of fishermen, as many of the islanders live from fishing.

Two gods complete the heavenly altar involved in the great celebration: Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy, and Hsing-the terrifying god of the south, who with his beard hideous face of horror to all his opponents.

You can see in different parts of the city temples and festivals dedicated to these gods, you can always enjoy free.

Aerial Dance
The week’s festivities culminate with spectacular processions in which smaller clothes and walk the streets dressed as mythological figures, held aloft by hidden bars that give the appearance of floating above the heads of the crowd.

This is how you will see a “flyover” of small figures dancing in the air. Parents consider it a great honor that their children are part of the parade, so usually the preparation of the costumes is time and dedication of each family.

A company of musicians accompanying the procession fascinating, beating gongs and drums to scare the ghosts of old pirates and their victims. The pilgrimage is led by a spectacular image of Pak Tai, who directs the imaginary battle against the spirits.

Turkey is one of those destinations that have been chosen for a short vacation, a destination is usually quite affordable at the same time unknown, and provides for much more than a short vacation.

We can find many ruins of ancient temples, castles and fortresses of ancient settlements and remains of the walls of such cities or amphitheaters in the west of Turkey. Those who like archeology found here with the story at his feet. The area is very hot and dry, but once, in time of the Greeks was ancient port, now all dry.

We can travel from city to city with buses arriving and finding a place to sleep is not complicated, so that we can go a little adventure and explore the region without ties or problems.

One of the places to visit is the site of ancient Troy, which is only part of the wall, and you need an expert to distinguish the different layers of debris.

The Acropolis and strength in Bergamo (Pergamon), pyrene, Didymea, Ephesus … the list of places to visit is extensive, many of them only a pile of rocks and difficult to distinguish from other archaeological sites have fared better and are preserved and restored, but it is not usual. What we find in this part of Turkey is a journey through Greek and Roman culture.

In some places the sensation is of having made a journey through time as you can be in the same theater that did the Romans or walk down the same roads on which they went.

Sometime during the trip, we had to take a bus to take us to some secluded place, only bad thing about transportation here is that maybe we left somewhere for an afternoon while visiting the ruins we only was an hour and a half as much, which we had to wait long until the next bus to pass. Sometimes when this happened close to where we could find a service area or a cafe where old men played cards and drank tea … an opportunity to observe the locals. It is also common to find in stores these sites handmade carpets, in which we can pass the time.

Many times during these visits, we have found to be the only tourists in the place, and go on a bus full of locals we stopped anywhere, but the landscapes were great and you could see things like that here, the farmers still on mules and horses to their workplace.

In recent years Turkey has been sold as a popular tourist site and exotic, it is … but its charm can be found in other less crowded places and we will remember forever. It is a good opportunity if you enjoy visiting historical sites, you just have to prepare a little trip to organize and know the places to go, and otherwise find accommodation here without prior reservation is not usually a problem.

The Sahara desert hides secrets and mysteries that travelers cannot resolve. These are the secrets of her beauty and mystical nature. Among the arenas and temples stands the city of Pushkar, a Hindu city on the edge of the Sahara. The city is home to the famous annual camel fair, where hundreds of traders gather to exchange livestock. In addition to the fair, you can participate in a Camel Safari and walk the sands of the Sahara. What are you waiting for?

Pushkar, India. Pushkar is an important religious site for Hindus, located 11 km. Ajmer in Rajasthan, northern India. This small town is known for being the home of the Temple of Lord Brahma, the picturesque lake of Pushkar and Pushkar Fair, where traders flocked camels.

In the village have 400 temples and 52 Ghats, including the famous Brahma Temple, the only dedicated to Lord Brahma in the country. Pushkar is also a great destination for pilgrimage visited by devotees from around the country.

According to legend, the Pushkar Lake was formed where Lord Brahma – the lord of creation, dropped a lotus flower on a moonlit night. Every November, the famous Pushkar Fair is held for seven days starting on Noami, the ninth day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar, and ending on the Kartik Poornima full moon day. The bottom line is fair trade of hundreds of camels, as well as horses and cattle. The show is incredible in the eyes of those who are not accustomed. The first is the overwhelming number of camels, all put in place so that potential buyers fall in love with these specimens. The second is the same people, wearing white robes and turbans, acclimated in the sweltering heat of the Sahara. Are the only ones out of context in this painting of a thousand and one nights are tourists.

But all is not business, will also see great attractions including games, races, dances, folk dances, songs and entertainment where visitors can share with local Hindu sentiment, overwhelmed by the magic a place outside the series.

Pushkar, in addition to the internationally renowned exhibition of cattle, has the wonderful sacred lake where hundreds of devotees of all faiths come to take a bath. Dancing, music, traditional costumes and various cultural events add to the fun at this time. The phenomenal camel races are the most interesting part of the exhibition schedule. You can bet yours and see if you win, and enjoy the colorful shops are arranged around where you can buy local handicrafts all reasonable values.

Activities in the desert, camel safari
Apart from the attractions of Pushkar Lake and Brahma temple, the village includes a particular activity that can be enjoyed throughout the year. Safari is the new Camel in the desert sand dunes.

All those who travel the sacred town of Pushkar should not miss the chance to participate in this great activity. It’s the best way to explore the vast expanses of the desert landscape that attracts travelers from all over the world.

Camel Safari Pushkar is a unique experience, where you can go through the arid terrain of the great Sahara desert Hindu aboard camels you sands transported by that change color as passing day. The tour will take you through small villages and landscapes of dreams until the sun sets and weather turns cold. This is a sign that the tour is over and you return to the village. There are few things more daunting in the world that the view of the magnificent desert, especially if you can see on a camel, wrapped in the magical atmosphere of a safari in the Sahara.