Shaoxing holds 'Wine God Fair' to pray for a good harvest
The 11th "Wine God Fair" was held on Nov 1 in Shaoxing Rice Wine Town which is located in Dongpu town, Yuecheng district, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province.
Many wine shops were open with wine flags flying, and young people dressed in Hanfu strolled in the streets filled with a strong aroma of wine.
"Wine God Sacrifice" is an important part of the "Wine God Fair". People in turn made a pious toast and sacrificed the wine to the "wine god", praying for good weather and good wine in the coming year. Besides, there were also a series of activities including the parade of the wine god, attracting lots of residents and visitors.
Dongpu town, well-known as "the kingdom of wine", is the birthplace of Shaoxing rice wine. The "Wine God Fair" is a local traditional folk activity which originated during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng (1851-1861) in Qing Dynasty.
Wu Xinggang, the owner of Shaoxing Ruiyuan Wuji wine shop and the inheritor of Xiangxue Wine making-skills, said, "Worshiping the wine god shows the good wish of the winemaker to inherit the classic and brew the wine."
"By holding the activity, we further excavate the excellent culture in the folk belief and inject new era connotation into the wine culture which has lasted for hundreds of years. We constantly enrich the grassroots folk cultural activities to form the unique folk culture brand and spread the story of Shaoxing rice wine." said Chen Hailong, director of management center of Management Committee of Shaoxing Rice Wine Town.