Updated: 2015-05-06
Wenjiang rice-planting farmers started to plant crops on May 3. To mark the day, a traditional ceremony was held in Wanchun town in Wenjiang district on the same day.
Tourists also took part in the ceremony along with local farmers. They shouldered rice seedlings and walked around the farmland while a respected elderly farmer prayed on a stage. They then threw the rice seedlings into the paddy fields and planted them.
After the ceremony, tourists were invited to participate in various rice-themed competitions in which they grew rice seedlings manually or using machines.
The activity was part of the Wanchun Rural Tourism Festival. Under the theme of "rendezvous in the countryside', the festival aims to highlight Wenjiang's natural beauty and cultural glamour.
Chinese farmers hold a tradition according to which they choose a lucky day to start rice-planting. They perform a ceremony before they plant the first seedling into the field, and pray for a good harvest year. Farmers also splash muddy water at each other. According to the belief, the wetter people get, the luckier they will be in the new season.
Tourists take part in the rice seedlings transplanting competition in Wenjiang district in Chengdu, Sichuan province on May 3. [Photo/www.cnchemicals.com]