Sanya Dragon King folk custom event celebrates maritime heritage
By: By CHEN BOWEN in Haikou
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Sanya Dragon King folk custom event celebrates maritime heritage
Residents and tourists gather at Sanya Dongtian Park in Hainan province on March 17 for the five-day Dragon King folk custom event, featuring traditional rituals and cultural markets to celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] BUZZ NOTE: This caption is the same for and applies to all images below.
Thousands of residents and tourists gathered at Sanya Dongtian Park in Hainan province on Friday for the opening of the annual Dragon King folk custom event, a local intangible cultural heritage tradition marking the Dragon Head Raising Day on the second day of the second month in the Chinese calendar.
The five-day festival, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday, features traditional rituals, cultural markets, and interactive experiences aimed at preserving Hainan's maritime heritage.
The ceremony began with a traditional procession, including welcoming the deity, paying tributes from five directions, and reading ceremonial addresses. Representatives from five Dragon King temples across Sanya participated, accompanied by ceremonial boat horns played from fishing boats at sea.
A Dragon King Market opened on Tuesday, offering traditional Li ethnic practices, including pottery making, spinning, dyeing, and rattan weaving. Also on offer are sections for cultural products, souvenirs, and local cuisine, like sour noodles, pork ribs, seafood, dragon-shaped sugar paintings, and sugar-coated haws.
Following the ritual, attendees joined a hike to collect stamps at cultural sites. Visitors also took part in haircutting customs, interactive games, and Q&A sessions with performers dressed as characters from dragon folklore.
The Dragon King worship tradition, recognized as Sanya's municipal-level intangible cultural heritage, reflects Hainan's historical relationship with the sea. The event represents efforts to integrate cultural preservation with tourism development following the island-wide special customs operations launched in December.
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Yet another beautiful colourful traditional ceremony that I missed. There is so little time to see the cultural wonders of this magical land - almost 20 years has not been enough.
Very colorful
It sure is.