Tanya McGovern

Across Hong Kong, lanterns lit up the night and families gathered to feast in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Large crowds gathered in Victoria Park last night to view the display of lanterns at the Urban Mid-Autumn Carnival.

Nearby, the streets of the suburb of Tai Hang were packed with revellers hoping to catch a glimpse of the fast moving Tai Hang Fire Dragon.

The Tai Hang Fire dragon, with a 67 metre long tail, takes over 300 performers and 70,000 joss sticks to complete its performance.

The origins of the fire dragon lie in the 19th Century village of Tai Hang, now a suburb of urban back streets in Hong Kong.

The fishing village was hit by a series of  unfortunate events – a typhoon, plague and a python attack on livestock. The villagers, on the advice of a soothsayer, created the fire dragon dance to scare off the bad spirits.

After the first performance during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the village was peaceful.

The tradition continues each year, and in 2009 it was added to China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage.