The origins of this Taoist rite can be traced back hundreds of years to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when Cheung Chau was devastated by a storm, followed by an outbreak of the plague which claimed many lives. Believing the island to be haunted, the locals performed a sacrificial ceremony to placate the Gods and pray for their favour. The festival is now timed to coincide with Buddha's birthday.

The people of the island eat a vegetarian diet for the three days prior to the main procession, when 16-metre high bamboo towers are erected in front of the Pak Tai temple and studded with thousands of steaming buns as an offering to the ancient Chinese spirits. The buns are thought to ensure smooth sailing for the fishing boats and bring good fortune and plentiful catches.

No Chinese festival is complete without lion and dragon dancers, but this island's quirk used to be that the children were dressed as mythological and modern heroes and suspended above the crowds on the tips of swords and paper fans. They formed the float procession of Piaose and were all safely secured within steel frames, though they appeared to glide through the air. Parents considered it a great honour for their offspring to be part of the procession.

At a quarter to midnight a paper effigy of the King of the Ghosts is set on fire, giant incense sticks are lit and the buns are harvested and distributed to the villagers, who, delighted to be sharing in this auspicious good fortune, celebrate late into the night.