Ritual ceremony shines again in Beijing

On Monday in Beijing, there was a ceremony which is held according to the ancient customs named as a traditional “ritual sacrifice” ceremony.

 

The ceremony was held at the Temple of Sun Park in eastern Chaoyang District, where a sacrificial altar was built for Emperor Jiajing in 1530 during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

 

At about 10:20 am yesterday, music from a band playing ancient instruments began. Volunteers assuming the roles of emperor and ministers walked slowly through the west gate to the altar, where the "emperor" knelt and kowtowed to the tablet of the God of Brightness, a sun deity.

 

The "emperor" then offered jade objects and silk fabrics to show his respect and gratitude for the sun.

 

In the meantime, 64 dancers in traditional costume danced around the altar.

The emperor and his ministers were played by volunteers from Chaoyang District, while the honor guards that flanked the procession were paramilitary police, said Zhang Xinyuan, deputy director of the Chaoyang District Cultural Center.

 

Hundreds of onlookers also took part in the ceremony, pressing their hands against their chests to offer prayers to the sun.

 

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.

 

Source: china.org.cn