Thousands of excited spectators packed the grid-like streets of a usually quiet Hong Kong neighborhood Thursday night, eager for the resurrection of the city's fire dragon dance after a three-year pandemic-spurred dormancy.
Smoke and fire swirled in the heady air, wafting from the dragon's 67-metre (219-feet) body which is made up of thousands of incense sticks.
Legend says the dance originated in 1880 to drive away the plague from Tai Hang village, with the only pauses coming during the three years when Hong Kong was under Japanese occupation during World War II and the pandemic.
The ritual was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by China and Hong Kong in 2011 and 2017 respectively, with a museum dedicated to it opened in 2022 in Tai Hang.
(Photos: AFP)
