Chao Por-Goddess festival

Performances featuring costumed and face-painted dancers are taking place in the grand dance of Liang Shan Mountain warrior during the Chao Por-Goddess festival in Chum Sang district, Nakhon Sawan province, north of Bangkok, on December 9, 2023. Known locally as the "Eng Kor" performance, this traditional Chinese dance combines music, dance, and martial arts, and is performed by 108 dancers. Each dancer paints their face to represent different characters based on a Chinese folk story. This famous annual festival, first established in 1947, is held to pay respect to the Chao Por-Goddess Shrine. The performance includes a procession of actors parading around the Chum Sang district, showcasing acrobatics and martial arts performances with swords, batons, and other weapons. The show tells the story of 108 masked warriors marching into the city to fight the conquering tiger. (Footage by Chaiwat Subprasom/NurPhoto via Getty Images)