Longzhou Shehuo photography by Wu Xiaopeng. [Photo/photoint.net] |
The Shehuo performance is usually held during the Spring Festival, the Chinese lunar New Year, in Northwest China.
This traditional folk custom traces its roots to ancient people praying for good harvest and fortune. The "She" in the name stands for God of Earth and "Huo" means fire, which ancient people believed had the magic power of driving away evil spirits.