Ritual ceremony shines again
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The Sun was worshipped in Beijing yesterday in a revival of a traditional "ritual sacrifice" ceremony last held more than 160 years ago. |
Wang Guiyuan, 50, who lives near the park, said: "Ordinary people were not allowed to take part in the ceremony, which was for the emperors only in ancient dynasties. But today I can learn some old traditions while praying for my country and for myself, too."
A highly valued ceremony in ancient times, the tradition lost its appeal and vanished in 1843 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Beijing municipal government has restored all four traditional ritual sacrifice ceremonies for the Heaven, the Earth, the Sun and the Moon.
Yesterday's ceremony coincided with Chunfen or Spring Equinox, one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese traditional calendar, which heralds the beginning of spring.
Other activities were held across the country to mark the date. In Shandong and Anhui provinces as well as Beijing, children attempted to stand eggs on end to celebrate the date, a tradition that originated about 4,000 years ago, according to Wang Laihua, a professor at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences.
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