Spring Equinox Celebrations

Chinese capital resumed ritual sacrifice to the sun on Monday, the day of the vernal equinox, after the traditional ceremony has been stopped more than 160 years. ritual sacrifice took place in the Temple of the Sun Park in eastern Chaoyang District, where the sacrificial altar was built for Emperor Jiajing in 1530 during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Around 10:20 am, music from a group of ancient instruments began. Volunteers played the roles of emperor and the ministers walked slowly through the western gate of the altar, where the "Emperor" fell on his knees and bowed tablets God brightness of the sun god. "Emperor," and then suggested that jade objects and silk fabrics as a tribute to show my respect and gratitude for the sun. At the same time, 64 dancers in traditional costumes performed by civilian and military dances around the altar. "Emperor" and "ministers" were playing cultural volunteers from the Chaoyang District, while the "honor guard" that the sides of the procession were a paramilitary police force, said Zhang Xinyuan, deputy director of Chaoyang District Cultural Centre. Under the leadership of the ceremony master, hundreds of spectators also took part in the ceremony, pressing her hands to her chest, to offer prayers to the sun. It was the first time in the 50-year-old Wang Guiyuan, who lives near the park, take part in such a ritual sacrifice of the sun.