The heat is on

Apart from diet, special activities are also hosted for the arrival of Dashu.

In Jiazhi of Taizhou, Zhejiang province, people burn a Dashu Ship to pray for a smooth and healthy year. Legend has it that in the reign of the emperor Tongzhi (1862-1875) in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), epidemics always hit Jiazhi, especially around Dashu. To make things even worse, from July to September, Jiazhi, located at the place where the Jiaojiang River enters the East Sea, suffered from frequent high winds, typhoons and floods.

The Dashu Ship measures about 15 meters long and 3 m wide. Inside it carries a shrine, an incense table, and daily necessaries like water vats, tables, beds, pillows, and bedclothes, food such as pigs, sheep, chicken, fish, shrimps, and rice, and self-defense weapons like swords, guns and cannons.

On Dashu, more than 50 fishermen shoulder the Dashu Ship by turns walking in the streets, followed by performing teams such as dragon dance and waist drum dance. At the end of the ritual, the ship will be carried to the wharf before it is finally pulled out of the harbor into the sea. On the sea, the ship, loaded with all kinds of sacrifices, will be lit on fire and burned. Watching the ship on fire, people pray for a good harvest and good health.

Contact the writer at yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn