As a festival to carry on the local custom of drinking mutton soup during the sanfu period kicked off in Yiyuan county – administered by Zibo city in East China's Shandong province – on July 2.
The festival is called the 10th Shandong Fuyang Cultural Festival. In the Chinese Lunar Calendar, sanfu refers to the three 10-day periods – toufu, zhongfu and mofu – that are supposed to be the hottest days of the year.
The local custom, which dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), sprang up from the belief that mutton, which is hot in nature, can make people sweat a lot and detox.
The 10th Shandong Fuyang Cultural Festival kicks off in Yiyuan on July 2. [Photo/WeChat ID: zibowenhualvyou]
The festival usually falls on the first day of sanfu and lasts for a month. Sanfu, also called China's "dog days of summer", refers to three 10-day periods that are predicted to have the hottest days of the year.
Mouth-watering mutton soup is served in Yiyuan county. [Photo/WeChat ID: zibowenhualvyou]
In Yiyuan, people cook a whole lamb in a big pot. After cooking for more than three hours, the lamb is served first with the blood and the liver to whet the guests' appetite, then the bones to tantalize them, next a large plate of mutton to satisfy all the guests and at last the hooves, symbolizing attainment of the highest level.
A fight by two goats is watched by visitors at the festival. [Photo/WeChat ID: zibowenhualvyou]
The organizers say there will be a great variety of activities during the festival, including an art performance, fun games and a banquet.
