The tourism bureau in the city of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, held a water-fetching ceremony with scores of fishermen dressed in ethnic clothing to celebrate the melting of ice on the Songhua River, on April 14.

This is a traditional ceremony of the Hezhe ethnic group who live mainly by hunting and fishing along the Songhua River.

So, when ice on the river, the source of their livelihood begins to melt in late April, it is the occasion for a celebration and the beginning of a new life represented by fetching a few buckets of water and pouring them into a container.

Fishermen dressed in Hezhe ethnic clothing join in the water-fetching ceremony, on April 14.  [Photo provided to e.my399.com]

They believe that using the water to wash one’s hands will bring a blessing and health in the new year.

The ceremony is a prelude to the ethnic group’s culture festival which involves rituals and a display of traditional hunting and fishing skills.