Fish Lantern Festival showcases coastal culture in Yantai

A local woman shows a giant mackerel fish for sacrifice at the Fish Lantern Festival on Feb 17. [Photo/VCG]

Coastal areas of Yantai, East China's Shandong province celebrate the Fish Lantern Festival on the 13th and 14th days of the Lunar New Year to pray for fortune and safety for the upcoming year.

During these two days, fishermen gather at piers, dance, and light the "fish lanterns" in celebration, as their ancestors have done for hundreds of years.

To pray for safety, locals usually offer food to sacrifice such as a pig head with shoe-shaped ingots made of gold or silver paper in its mouth, a giant mackerel fish, as well as steamed bums, fireworks, incense, and dishes.

The Fish Lantern Festival, with a history of more than 500 years, is unique to coastal fishermen in the Yantai Development Zone, and was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.

Fishermen in Yantai, Shandong province celebrate the Fish Lantern Festival on the 13th and 14th days of the Lunar New Year to pray for fortune and safety. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]