ZHENGZHOU, China, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 19, the third day of the third lunar month, the Ancestral Worship Ceremony at the Yellow Emperor’s Hometown in Xinzheng, Zhengzhou, was held for the Bingwu Year (2026). Continuing the theme of shared roots, ancestry and origins and promoting peace, harmony and unity, the event drew about 5,000 participants from China and abroad to honor Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, cultural forebear of the Chinese nation, and to pray for national prosperity and world peace.
Regarded as the common ancestor of the Chinese people, the Yellow Emperor is believed to have lived around 5,000 years ago and is considered a founding figure of Chinese civilization. The annual ceremony held on this date has become a major occasion for Chinese communities worldwide to trace their roots and reinforce cultural identity.
The ceremony features nine rituals: ceremonial salutes, flower offerings, hand cleansing and incense, collective homage, reading of the tribute, choral praise, ritual music and dance, blessings for the nation, and prayers for harmony among Heaven, Earth, and humanity—blending tradition with modern expression.
During the choral segment, singers and children from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan performed the Ode to the Yellow Emperor. In the blessing segment, 19 representatives of Chinese descendants from around the world stamped a Bingwu commemorative seal onto a landscape scroll, expressing wishes for peace and stability. The ceremony concluded with nine guests lighting a ceremonial torch as doves and wish balloons were released.
The event was jointly organized by the People’s Government of Henan Province, the Henan Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, and the Association for Yan Huang Culture of China.
Over time, the ceremony has become a symbolic and influential cultural hallmark for the global Chinese community. On the same day, overseas Chinese groups in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, and Brazil held parallel ceremonies. In a world facing growing challenges, this millennia-old tradition, and its global participation, continues to unite shared cultural sentiment of Chinese people worldwide and their hopes for the future.
