Residents and visitors packed Tai Hang in Hong Kong last month for the return of the fire dragon dance in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The centuries-old tradition, part of the national intangible cultural heritage, is back after a four-year, pandemic-induced hiatus.
More than 300 performers carried a dragon made of lit incense sticks, rope, rattan and straw through the streets and alleyways of the neighbourhood against the backdrop of ringing gongs and thumping drums.
It is believed the dance originated in the 19th century, when Hakka residents felt they had beaten a plague by parading the fiery beast through the neighbourhood.
Urvik Patel and his wife, in their 50s, came to watch the procession even though they knew nothing about the tradition.
“We just came to see what it is,” Patel said. “The smell of the incense sticks … it reminds us of home.”
Ben Ng, 43, had never seen the show and said he was glad he and his six-year-old son would experience it together.
“He is excited to see what he learned at school,” he said.
