TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan welcomed the Lunar New Year with its annual Luermen Spring Festival on Saturday, featuring a parade, music performances, traditional activities, and a grand fireworks display.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) was the guest of honor at the festival’s opening ceremony, hosted by the Luermen Matsu Temple in Annan District. Despite the cold weather, an estimated 700,000 people attended the event, per UDN.

Among the distinguished guests were four Japanese mayors from Fukushima Prefecture, representing the towns of Shirakawa, Nakajima, Izumisaki, and Nishigo, according to a press release.

The Luermen Spring Festival dates back to 1725, per CNA, and its most famous tradition is the spring ox ritual, symbolizing prosperity for the coming year.

As part of the ritual, a large paper-mâché ox is tossed into the crowd, where attendees tear off pieces for good luck. The custom originates from an old practice of whipping an ox to bless the animal before spring plowing.

In the evening, visitors enjoyed an impressive two-hour fireworks and drone light show featuring 500 drones forming images of dragons, snakes, and the Goddess Matsu, per the press release.