Miaoyuan village in Quzhou city, Zhejiang province, held ritual activities on Monday to celebrate Lichun, or the Start of Spring, the first of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Children line the temple doorstep in a ritual to mark the Start of Spring in Miaoyuan village, Zhejiang province, on Feb. 3, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

In the morning, a ritual ceremony was held at a local temple, where villagers presented flower baskets and sacrificial offerings to Goumang, the God of Spring, praying for harvest and prosperity in the coming year.

During the ceremony, the ritual of Whipping the Spring Ox was conducted on the farmland in front of the temple. A village elder led a plow ox adorned with red flowers on its horns and draped in a red cloth to the field, while a child dressed up as the God of Spring, whipped the ox. It signified the beginning of agricultural activities for the new year.

The ritual of Whipping the Spring Ox is conducted to mark the Start of Spring in Miaoyuan village, Zhejiang province, on Feb. 3, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

A cultural exchange activity was held in the temple after the ceremony. Scholars, international guests, and local residents engaged in discussion on intangible cultural heritage and solar term traditions.

The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. In 2016, the 24 Solar Terms was inscribed on the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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