Yiyang celebrates Lantern Festival with dragon dance parade

Yiyang in Hunan province staged dragon dance performances on Tuesday to celebrate Lantern Festival, which fell on Wednesday.

During a parade, a 150-meter-long dragon and 100 colorful dragon teams formed a spectacular performance array. This lively and grand city-wide folk celebration allowed residents and tourists to experience the charm of traditional customs up close.

Lantern Festival, also known as Yuanxiao Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is characterized by cultural activities like lantern displays, dragon and lion dances, lantern riddles and sweet glutinous rice balls called yuanxiao or tangyuan. The festival symbolizes family reunion, happiness and good fortune.