Beijing, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Tianheng Town, a fishing base in east China's Shandong Province, is to host its traditional sacrifice to sea festival, the largest of its kind in the country, on March 20-22.
The event is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from home and abroad, according to organizers.
A series of cultural activities will be held during the three festive days, including a sail-launching ceremony, a photo contest, an exhibition of China's intangible cultural heritages, a show on folk arts and handicrafts, and a riddle-guessing game, according to the organizing committee of the "2009 Tianheng Sacrifice to Sea Festival".
The local sacrifice to sea ceremony dates back over 500 years and it is held around the Guyu (Grain Rain), one of the 24 solar terms created by ancient Chinese to carry out agricultural activities strictly according to position of the Sun at the zodiacal circle.
In 2004, the festival was officially named the "Tianheng Sacrifice to Sea Festival", and in 2008, the festival was made a national intangible heritage by the Chinese government.