On Saturday, many people in Yichang, Central China's Hubei Province, went crazy throwing money onto the Yuxi Bridge, online video showed.

Saturday marks China's traditional Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Dragon. On Saturday, many people in Yichang, Central China's Hubei Province, went crazy throwing money onto the Yuxi Bridge, online video showed.

Some people scrunched up hundred-yuan bills and threw them out on the bridge, while dozens of people below waited to collect the money. On that day, officials from the Yuxi town government told media that this is a local custom, where every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people throw money out on the bridge during the Lantern Festival, seeking for good luck.

Last year, there were also reports about the tradition of throwing paper money out on the bridge during the Lantern Festival. According to local residents, this behavior is called "crossing the bridge," and it happens every year. At noon, families go to "cross the bridge," with the elderly claiming that it prevents back pain. By throwing coins, they hope to drive away bad luck. Now, people of all ages like to go and wait for money.

Many netizens said that they had never heard of this custom before and found it very interesting. "This should be the local people's sense of 'ritual' for the festival, to ensure happiness and well-being in the coming year. As long as safety, civility, and order are maintained, such customs should be passed down," one netizen said.

Global Times