Ceremony held to greet spring in Quzhou
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 5, 2018
"Time to greet spring," said the ceremony host in a resounding chant at exactly 9:18 a.m., marking the start of the ceremony. Ritual performers presented rice cakes and other offerings to the god of spring, inviting the blessing for a rich harvest.
A highlight of the ceremony was the "whip the spring ox," where a villager plowed the field with an ox-pulled plow, while a child whipped the ox, chanting folk songs. This symbolically announced the start of farming for the year and made a wish for a big harvest.
"This was my second time to take part in the ritual ceremony, which still brought me a brand-new experience," Xiao Fang, deputy director of China Folklore Society, said, adding that the ceremony held here was spontaneously organized by local villagers, representing their wish to carry on the traditional Chinese culture. "As there is a temple of Goumang, the god of spring, in Miaoyuan Village, people here are more willing to take part in such a ritual."
Guests would also attend the seminar on the culture of the 24 Solar Terms in the wake of the ritual ceremony.
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