Start of Spring, the first solar term of the year, fell on Feb 4 this year.

That day, Miaoyuan village in Quzhou, Zhejiang province held an annual sacrificial ceremony to worship the God of Spring, Gou Mang, to pray for good weather and a strong harvest in the coming year.

It is the only village in the world that still practices the traditional sacrificial offering ceremony for Gou Mang.

In May 2011, the Jiuhua Start of Spring sacrificial ceremony was approved by the State Council to be placed on the third list of national intangible cultural heritage items.

China's 24 solar terms was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) world intangible cultural heritage list in 2016.

Miaoyuan village in Quzhou, Zhejiang province holds an annual sacrificial ceremony to worship the God of Spring, Gou Mang, on the Start of Spring. [Photo/WeChat account: quzhoufb]