The folk artists are dressed up as traditional play figures for the performance of Shehuo to celebrate the Spring Festival in the Longxian, northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The performance of Shehuo are rooted in primitive sacrificial activities in which ancient people prayed for harvest and affluence with their songs and dances from "She," originally meaning the God of Earth, and "Huo," literally meaning fire which ancient people believed to have the magic power of driving away evil spirits.

The performance of Shehuo can be traced back to ancient rituals to worship the earth, which has been believed to bring good harvests and fortunes in return. The Shehuo parade in Longxian dates back to more than two thousand years ago and is known as the Carnival on the Loess Plateau.

In 2007, the Shehuo performance in Longxian was listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Shaanxi province. Statistics show that at least 100 thousand people, which makes up more than half of the population in Longxian, take part in the performance of Shehuo in Longxian.(Photo/china.org.cn)