The Chinese Lantern Festival takes place on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. As they mark the end of the Spring Festival, celebrants create colorful lanterns, set off fireworks, and hold parades. In one village, residents hurl molten metal against a wall to create an impressive display of sparks in a 300-year-old tradition. Gathered below are some vibrant images from this year’s Chinese Lantern Festival. [29 photos]
A blacksmith throws molten metal against a cold wall to create sparks, as he and others celebrate the Lantern Festival which traditionally marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations, in Nuanquan, Hebei province, China, on February 6, 2012. For over 300 years, the village, which is famous for its blacksmith skills, has maintained the tradition which they consider a cheaper alternative to buying fireworks during the Lantern Festival.(Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Wearing protective helmets and hoping to be hit, thousands of devotees stand in the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival in Yanshui, southern Taiwan, on February 6, 2012. Marking the end of the Chinese Lantern Festival, the Yenshui Beehive Fireworks Festival originates from the late 19th century when villagers suffering from serious cholera epidemics used fireworks to ward off evil spirits they believed brought on the sickness. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) #
Villagers perform the annual “dragon march” to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Gutian township, Fujian province, China, on February 6, 2012. According to local media, the traditional march, usually performed during Lantern Festival, has a history of more than 200 years. The marching dragon, made of paper and bamboo and connected by wood planks, set the new Guinness World Records of the longest parade float at 791.5 m (2,597 ft), according to local media. (Reuters/Stringer) #
Worshippers throw firecrackers at a shirtless man acting as Master Handan during the Handan ritual as part of the Chinese Lantern Festival celebrations or “Yuan Hsiao Jie” in Taitung, eastern Taiwan, on February 6, 2012. According to some cultural historians, Master Handan is a god of wealth who is afraid of the cold and throwing firecrackers at him can drive the chill away from his body. During the procession, the more firecrackers onlookers set off, the more successful and wealthy they will become. (Reuters/Stringer) #
A blacksmith flings a ladle full of molten metal against a wall to create sparks, as he and others celebrate the Lantern Festival in Nuanquan, Hebei province, China, on February 6, 2012. For over 300 years, the village has maintained the tradition which they consider a cheaper alternative to buying fireworks during the Lantern Festival. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images) #
Blacksmiths prepare more molten metal to be thrown against a stone wall in a centuries-old traditional celebration of the Lantern Festival in Nuanquan, China, on February 6, 2012. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images) #
