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Crossing Sea of Fire staged in Leizhou to mark Lantern Festival

(en.zhanjiang.gov.cn) Updated: 2019-02-20

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Crossing the Sea of Fire, a 400-year-old folk custom on Leizhou Peninsula, was held across the region on Feb 20 to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb 19.

The bravest and strongest men in a village were selected to cross over a burning fire and pray for happiness and well-being.

The custom demonstrates ancestral reverence toward fire and was listed on the Catalogue of Zhanjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Items in 2009.

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A fire is left burning for six to seven hours. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

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Villagers circle the raging fire before the event starts. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

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Two brave young men race across the sea of fire with nothing on their feet, which is expected to bring happiness and health to their families. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

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Sparks fly behind a young man. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

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A villager grabs a plowshare from the fire with his teeth. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

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The crowd uses wooden sticks to introduce the fire to their home and pray for a bright and promising future. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

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