HOHHOT, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands ethnic Mongolians and tourists on Sunday made the pilgrimage to a shrine dedicated to the 13th-century conquerer Genghis Khan for a spring memorial ceremony.
Worshippers gathered at the mausoleum in Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to pray and offer hada, a white ceremonial silk scarf.
Called Tsagaansurek, or "milk sacrifice" in Mongolian, the spring ritual uses the milk of white horses as a sacrifice to peace and prosperity.
"Hearing the chant of the ancient eulogy and watching the parade, I felt the history in books had come alive," said an ethnic Mongolian student, who gave his name as Hongyan.
Every year, ethnic Mongolians hold four rituals, one in each season, to Genghis Khan. The spring ritual is the grandest at the shrine and lasts for eight days. Local authorities estimate that there will be more than 100,000 visitors to the shrine during the festival.
Ethnic Mongolians claim to be descended from Genghis Khan, who united the tribes of northern China and founded the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. His grandson, Kublai Khan, established the Yuan Dynasty that ruled China from 1271 to 1368.
Genghis Khan memorial rituals were inscribed as China's intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
