Villagers scattered cash by a bridge for blessings on the Lantern Festival in central China.

Video filmed in the city of Yichang in Hubei Province on February 24, shows villagers on the Yuxi Bridge flinging hundred-yuan (£11) bills into the air, prompting a frenzy of people below scrambling to grab the falling cash. Some even employed makeshift tools like fishing nets to "fish" for money.

Officials from the Yuxi Town government shed light on this unusual tradition, stating it has been a local custom for quite some time. Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, coinciding with the Lantern Festival, locals gather on the bridge to partake in this cash-flinging ritual, believing it to bring about good health, particularly in the realm of spinal strength.

Locals hold the belief that a healthy back is the cornerstone of overall well-being, symbolising resilience against illnesses and misfortunes.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

2月24日，湖北宜昌，淯溪大桥上有人拿着百元大钞就往下扔，有的人则是在桥下争抢着捡钱，甚至有人拿着渔网等工具去“捞钱”。
对此，淯溪镇政府工作人员称，这种撒钱的传统在当地已经流传了很久了。每年正月十五元宵节这天，当地人都会聚集在淯溪大桥上，通过撒钱的方式来祈求身体健康，特别是腰部健康。因为当地人认为，腰部是支撑整个身体的关键，腰部健康就意味着身体硬朗、无病无灾。