Chinese village greets spring with traditional rituals
The ceremony, performed in a time-honored fashion, began at 9 a.m. at a local temple.
- The ceremony, performed in a time-honored fashion, began at 9 a.m. at a local temple.
- As part of the rituals, participants presented flower baskets and sacrificial offerings to Goumang, or the God of Spring in ancient China, to wish for a bumper harvest and prosperity in the year.
- In another ritual called "greet spring," 24 "spring messengers" stood on either side of the temple's doorstep and chanted "spring is coming," holding lanterns in their hands.
- The ritual ceremony, dated back hundreds of years, has been formally held each year since 2005 in the village at the start of spring.