Gansu residents greet New Year with Shehuo performances

Shehuo performance groups woke up early on Jan 27 to begin their dance preparations for Lantern Festival. The groups practiced and performed traditional folk art shows on the day known as Laba Festival – famous for its Laba porridge – which lies on the eighth day of twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Villagers in Shuangying village, in Gansu province practice walking on stilts. [Photo/ Xinhua.com.cn]

It is the groups' annual tradition to practice and make Shehuo performances from Laba Festival to the Lantern Festival, held on the fifteenth day of the first month of lunar calendar.

Many members of the group are comprised of local villagers, who give performances in line with the tradition of observing the festivals. The performances are part of a long tradition of dancing to the gods of the harvest in order to bring good luck for the following year’s crops.

Members of a Shehuo performance group rehearse the lantern drama, a traditional Chinese drama. [Photo/ Xinhua.com.cn]

The Shehuo performance is a form of folk art that derives from the Han ethnic group and refers to various acrobatic performances held by people during festivals and sacrificial rites. The performances include the dragon dance, walking on stilts, land boat, yangko (a rural folk dance) and waist drum.

A villager plays the lion dance at the plaza. [Photo/ Xinhua.com.cn]

By Li Xiaoxu and edited by Jacob Hooson