The sea-worshiping ceremony of the seventh Fishermen's Festival of Xiazhi County opens on a wharf of the county in Putuo district, Zhoushan city, Zhejiang province, on the morning of July 30. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]

The sea-worshiping ceremony of the seventh Fishermen's Festival of Xiazhi County was held on a wharf of the county in Putuo district, Zhoushan city, Zhejiang province, on July 30, amidst an array of colored flags and the loud sounds of drums and firecrackers.

The ceremony started with a dragon dance performance, after which the fishermen, dressed in traditional fishing clothes, appeared one after another to perform a set of worshiping rituals, including making offerings to the Dragon Kings of Four Seas (gods of sea and weather in traditional Chinese culture), inviting and toasting the Dragon Kings, reading prayers and releasing captive animals.

To mark the end of the ceremony, its leader proclaimed the words "ready to sail", after which proceedings came to a close. 

Having been passed down for thousands of years, the sea-worshiping custom has become a part of the unique local fishing culture through which the fishermen express their heart-felt gratitude and reverence to the sea.

The ceremony also attracted a crowd of visitors, with locals and tourists alike gathering to see the ritual take place.

Over 1,000 people from the crowd even joined in some of the performances voluntarily in a jubilant mood.

Xiazhi county is an important fishing county in Zhejiang province, boasting 174 domestic fishing vessels, 138 overseas fishing vessels and over 4,500 fishermen. 

The first Fishermen's Festival was staged in 1996 and it has been held in the county every three years ever since. This year's festival aims at promoting the county's unique fishing culture and advancing the development of its marine economy. 

The fishermen dressed in fishing costumes perform a set of worshiping rituals at the ceremony. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]