It was freezing but that did not stop this Chinese girl from venturing out of her home to enjoy these colourfully lighted ice sculptures at the Longqingxia Ice Lantern Festival in Yanqing district of Beijing on Saturday. People braved the cold and thronged the festival, 80km north-west of the Chinese capital, ahead of the traditional Yuanxiao or Lantern Festival, which is celebrated today. The festival, one of the most important for the Chinese, marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations. It is traditionally celebrated with activities such as "viewing lanterns" and "guessing lantern riddle".