Emperor's five sacrifices

Sacrifice to the heavens and the earth, to all directions, to mountains and rivers, to music and to seven sacrifices.

Feudal emperors claimed to be "sons of heaven" and were governed by "destiny". "the great men of the country are worshipping, and the great men worshipped are in the suburbs." Sacrificing heaven and earth in the suburbs has always been the biggest ceremony in ancient China, and it is also a way for emperors to show their loftiness and dignity. After the Han and Tang Dynasties, suburban sacrifices became more and more grand. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, suburban sacrifices were generally held three times a year, with the emperor paying homage as the main sacrifice. For the first time, in the first month of the lunar calendar, a prayer ceremony was held in the Hall of Prayer for the Year, praying for God to bless the bumper harvest of grain. The second time, from the auspicious day in April to the ball altar, a ceremony was held. Echoes, an ancient rain-praying ceremony), pray for rain in Cooper; On the solstice of the third winter, a memorial ceremony was held at the Waqiu altar to announce a bumper harvest of grain. Besides the "heaven", Emperor China had many gods to worship, such as the land god, the water god, the agricultural god, the moon, the sun, the stars and the clouds, including his ancestral tablets. Therefore, sacrificial activities are an important activity of the emperor, which lasts all year round.

The four directions are the gods of mountains, valleys and hills.

The Seven Sacrifices of the Emperor refer to the country, the country and the stove of the country.