Take in Nan'ao grass dragon dance

    On the night of Jan. 27, the second day of the Lunar New Year, residents in Nan'ao in Longgang District will perform the grass dragon dance, which has a history of more than 300 years.

    Legend has it that Matsu, the goddess of the sea, told people in Nan'ao that waving a grass-made dragon during the second night of the lunar year would bring favorable weather for harvesting. Since then, the fishermen of Nan'ao have been fashioning grass into the shape of a dragon every lunar year.

    While dancing with the grass dragon, they also set off fireworks. The grass dragon is then ignited and burnt to ashes to ensure a calm sea and a good harvest of fish and shrimp in the coming year.

    Nowadays, the grass dragon dance is a traditional Spring Festival folk ritual among Nan'ao residents. The grass comes from the mountain in Nan'ao, cut on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

    Celebrate Kaiding Festival in Shekou

    On Feb. 7, the more than 750 families from Yu'er community in Shekou will celebrate the Kaiding Festival, an outdoor community party that dates back to the Yuan Dynasty.

    The Kaiding fest was originally meant to celebrate the birth of boys (ding in Chinese) and was attended only by males in the past. Today, baby girls are also included in the celebration as the concept of gender equality has become widely accepted.

    During the festival, village residents prepare a dish called kaidingcha, made from a variety of ingredients, including shrimp, squid, scallops, chicken, sausage, peanuts and vegetables.

    Each household prepares around 100 bowls of kaidingcha on this day to treat friends, relatives and, sometimes, curious visitors.

    Residents from Yu'er community believe that the more people they entertain with kaidingcha during the festival, the more prosperity they will enjoy in the coming lunar New Year. On the other hand, those who eat more bowls of kaidingcha will be blessed as well.

    This year's Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 26. The festival in China is like Christmas in the West.

    In essence, the Chinese New Year means spending time with family, giving gifts and all important food feasts.

    For local Chinese, New Year festivities usually last 15 days.

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily)