Villagers dressed in traditional costumes attend the worship ceremony for Winter Solstice in Sanmen county, Zhejiang province on Dec 22. [Photo by Pan Qinwen/Chinanews.com]

A worship ceremony with a history of over 700 years was staged in Sanmen county, Zhejiang province on Dec 22 for the start of Winter Solstice, the 22nd solar term of the year.

On the first day of Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night in the year, as the sun shines directly at the Tropic of Capricorn. From then on, the days become longer and the nights become shorter. The Winter Solstice marks the arrival of the coldest season in the year.

Sanmen county in eastern Zhejiang is a place with mixed cultural elements due to its ocean and land lifestyles. People there pay much respect to nature and family.

One of the well-preserved old traditions in Sanmen, the Winter Solstice ceremony is a platform for people to worship nature and their ancestors. "We show our homage to nature and our ancestors through this activity, as well as our determination to inherit and promote the intangible cultural heritage," said Yang linfeng, a local village official.

People in traditional clothes gathered at the temple early in the morning and kowtowed to the four cardinal directions first. After paying tribute to the heaven, they turned to do ancestral worship.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, there was a forum for Winter Solstice culture as well. Scholars exchanged their ideas on the tradition and discussed the development trend of the cultural heritage.

"The ceremony has been an indispensable part of Sanmen people's cultural life," said Yang Shengjie, Party secretary of Sanmen, adding "we are considering applying good traditional culture like the worship in the building of beautiful villages to deepen villagers' understanding of traditions."

A variety of sacrificial offerings are offered at the ceremony in Sanmen county, Zhejiang province on Dec 22. [Photo by Pan Qinwen/Chinanews.com]