Villagers make sparks in creative celebration of the New Year
Performers spray molten iron against a concrete wall to create sparks during a performance in Cixian county, Handan city, North China's Hebei province, Dec 10, 2016. [Photo/IC] |
For thousands of years, Cixian county has carried out the tradition of spraying molten iron at 1,300 degrees Celsius against a cold concrete wall to form sparks similar to fireworks during Lantern Festival.
Spraying molten iron is a traditional celebration in North China areas, including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, to pray for the upcoming New Year.
It boasts a long history which can be traced back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) when ancient China's mining and smelting industry initially began.
This tradition was added into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list on June 7, 2008.