Hou Xiaxuan
The emperor went to the four directions and first burned firewood. The sacrifice in the suburbs was to welcome the arrival of the longest day, to report to the sky and to dominate the sun. The omen was in the southern suburbs, and it was to go to the yang position. The sacrifice was made by sweeping the ground, and it was to its nature. The utensils used were pottery and gourds, which symbolized the nature of heaven and earth. In the suburbs, it was called the suburbs. The sacrificial animals used were red, and the calf was used, and sincerity was valued. The use of pungent food in the suburbs was the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. Divination in the suburbs was to receive orders from the ancestral temple, and tortoise shells were made in the ancestral palace, which meant respecting the ancestors and examining them personally. On the day of divination, the king stood in the marsh, and personally listened to the oath and accepted the teachings and admonitions. The order of offering orders to the treasury gate is to warn all officials. The order of the great temple is to warn the people. On the day of sacrifice, the king wears a leather cap to listen to the sacrifice report, showing the people that he is strict with the emperor. The mourners do not cry, dare not wear mourning clothes, sweep the road, and light candles in the fields. Without orders, the people obey the emperor. On the day of sacrifice, the king wears a robe to represent the sky, wears a crown, and has twelve tassels, which is the number of the sky. He rides a plain car, which is valued for its quality. The flag has twelve tassels, with a dragon pattern and the sun and the moon, which represent the sky. The sky shows its image, and the sage follows it. The suburbs are used to clarify the way of the sky. The emperor's ox is not auspicious, so it is made into a millet ox. The emperor's ox must be made in the third month of the purification month, and the millet ox is the only one. This is to distinguish between the gods of heaven and the ghosts of people. All things are based on heaven, and people are based on their ancestors. This is why they are in harmony with the emperor. The suburban sacrifice is a great report to the origin and the beginning.
