Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance Headlines Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration in Hong Kong

Among the grandest of all festive activities for the four nights is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance with over 70,000 sticks of burning incense and the participation of 300 athletes for awe-inspiring dance of flames in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since 1880, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance has been an annual event to pray for good health and prosperity.

Tai Hang was originally a small village, home to farmers and fishermen. The village was hit by a plague in the late 19th century. According to folklore, the Buddha told a village elder to perform the Fire Dragon Dance and burn firecrackers during the Mid-Autumn Festival to drive the plague away. Accompanied by drummers and erupting firecrackers, they followed orders and danced for three days and three nights – and the plague disappeared.

The Fire Dragon is made up of 32 segments, which weighs over 200 pounds, with the head alone weighing 100 pounds. For more information on Mid-Autumn Festival and the Fire Dragon Dance, visit www.discoverhongkong.com or www.taihangfiredragon.hk.

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SOURCE Hong Kong Tourism Board

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