Reflections on the Ancestor Worship Ceremony in the Yellow Emperor’s Hometown on March 3rd

The weather is getting warmer, March 3rd is here again, spring is when the grass grows and the orioles fly! It is also the day of the ancestor worship ceremony in the Yellow Emperor’s hometown!

The Ancestor Worship Ceremony in the Yellow Emperor’s Hometown is a ceremony for the Chinese descendants of Yan and Huang to worship their ancestor, the Yellow Emperor, in Xinzheng, Henan Province on the third day of the third lunar month. Since 2006 (Bingxu year of the lunar calendar), it has been upgraded to the "Ancestor Worship Ceremony in the Hometown of the Yellow Emperor". In 2008, the State Council designated the Xinzheng Yellow Emperor Ancestor Worship Ceremony as one of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage expansion projects.

"Same roots, same ancestors, same origin, peace and harmony" is the theme of the ancestor worship ceremony.

Our Chinese nation has a long history and a long culture. To trace the origin of the ancestor worship ceremony, we have to go back to the period of the ancient Yan and Huang emperors.

In "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the Five Emperors", it is said that the Yellow Emperor was a descendant of the Shaodian tribe, with a surname of Gongsun and a given name of Xuanyuan.

According to legend, Emperor Yan’s surname was Jiang. The "Century of Emperors" says: "The Shennong family also had the surname Jiang. They had holy virtues and used fire to win kings, so they were named Emperor Yan."

Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor joined forces and defeated the Chiyou tribe in a battle of deer. Later, the Yellow Emperor's prestige became higher and higher. In order to unify the various tribes and establish a unified country, he decided to build a mountain in Xitaishan (now Xinzheng, Henan). Northwest) held a meeting of princes.

March in spring brings gentle breeze! All the vassal states unanimously supported the emperor as the Son of Heaven and named the country Youxiong Kingdom (near present-day Xinzheng, Henan). In this way, the first dynasty of the Chinese nation was born.

Both the Yan and Huang emperors had their own achievements, and they also brought peace and prosperity to the people at that time. The Yellow Emperor built palaces, invented cars and boats, made clothes, and taught people to dig wells. Emperor Yan taught people farming, invented medicine, invented pottery, and opened markets.

Later, with the death of the Yan and Huang Emperors, their descendants were all called emperors, inheriting Chinese civilization from generation to generation. Later generations worshiped the Yan and Huang Emperors and regarded them as their ancestors. One after another, everyone also inherited this tradition, and we now have the "descendants of Yan and Huang".

Nowadays, we are searching for our roots and not forgetting the spiritual civilization left by our ancestors. Every year in March, overseas Chinese from all over the world travel thousands of miles back to the Central Plains - the birthplace of the Chinese nation to worship their ancestors! Inherit civilization!

Due to the impact of the epidemic in the past two years, the ancestor worship ceremony in the Yellow Emperor’s hometown has been held online. Although the form of worship has changed, it does not affect our Chinese people's memory and remembrance of the civilization and spirit left by our ancestors.

One must never forget his origins and his original intention in order to achieve success. In the journey of the new era, we must keep history in mind and never forget our mission.

Build a prosperous, democratic, civilized and harmonious socialist country! Let people live a beautiful and happy life!

In this beautiful spring, may our country become more prosperous and stronger! People’s lives are better!