Director of the Jinzhong Municipal CPC Committee Sun Guangtang and CIPG Vice President Lu Cairong watch the festivities at the "She Huo" Festival in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province, Feb. 6, 2012. [Photo: China.org.cn]

Another highlight was the stilt performers -- hundreds of young men and women paraded in on stilts an average of four to five feet off the ground. Amazingly -- not a single one of them fell or even slipped, even while they were doing elaborate coordinated dances.

The cornerstone of the event was certainly the immense dancing dragons, with as many as nine dragons, each handled by dozens of performers, simultaneously moving across the parade route. For the Dragon Year, three separate dragon dances, each with different style and significance, brought the excitement in Jinzhong to a fever pitch. Often dragon dancers and coordinated drummers would hit the stage together, with the dragons dancing to the rhythms produced by the drums.

Although the parade subsided by mid-morning, residents of Yuci and guests were treated to a spectacular fireworks show sponsored by the local government that evening after the full moon rose high into the sky.

高跷表演也非常精彩。数百名青年男女踩着1米多高的高跷走在游行队伍中。令人惊讶的是，演员们在表演时都稳稳当当，队伍中没有一人掉下来或者滑倒。

规模巨大的舞龙表演无疑是社火表演的压轴大戏。九条巨龙在社火表演的线路上上下翻腾，每条都由几十人共同操控。为了庆祝龙年的到来，当地特意准备了三台风格各异的舞龙表演，这些表演将晋中社火节推向高潮。舞龙的汉子们与鼓手一同登台，舞者随着鼓点欢腾起舞。

社火游行在饷午渐入平静。不过当地政府还特意准备了绚丽斑斓的烟火盛宴，当晚满月升起后，榆次居民和游客们将大饱眼福。