Miaoyuan village in Quzhou city, Zhejiang province, held a ritual ceremony on Sunday to mark the arrival of spring based on the traditional Chinese calendar. 

Miaoyuan village holds a ritual ceremony to mark the beginning of spring at a local temple in Quzhou city, Zhejiang province, on Feb. 4, 2024. [Photo/China.org.cn]

The ceremony marked Lichun, the first of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar. Lichun signifies the beginning of spring and a new year for farmers.

Children stand on either side of the temple's doorstep in a ritual to mark the beginning of spring in Miaoyuan village, Zhejiang province, on Feb. 4, 2024. [Photo/China.org.cn]

The ceremony started at 9 a.m. at a local temple where participants offered flower baskets and sacrificial offerings to the God of Spring of ancient China. They prayed for a bumper harvest and prosperity in the year ahead.

A child wearing a traditional shepherd's outfit whips a buffalo in a ritual to mark the beginning of spring in Miaoyuan village, Zhejiang province, on Feb. 4, 2024. [Photo/China.org.cn]

One of the highlights of the ceremony was the Whip the Spring Ox ritual. An elder villager led an ox-pulled plow to till the field, while a child whipped the ox and sang a folk song.

The village also held other activities, such as hosting an open-air market, a food exhibition with spring-themed food dishes (such as spring cakes, spring rolls, and spring pancakes), and an exhibition of photos, paintings, and poems.

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