Section 66.1
The principles of the Suburban [Sacrifice]: According to the standards of the Spring and Autumn, the king
once a year presents sacrificial offerings to Heaven at the suburban altar
and four times presents sacrificial offerings at the ancestral temple.
The [sacrificial offerings] at the ancestral temple follow the changes in the four seasons;
the [sacrificial offerings] at the suburban altar follow the beginning of the new year.
The sage had reasons for initiating such practices. In making sacrifices, you cannot fail to be bound by familial obligations.
Heaven is the lord of the numerous spirits and is what the king reveres above all other spirits. Because the ruler is most reverent toward Heaven, when there is a change in the year he initiates the Suburban Sacrifice. The Suburban offering must be presented in the first month on the first
xin day.
1 This is to say that one sacrifices to the most honored at the head of the year before all others and [that] each time there is a change in the year, the Suburban offering is presented first. This is
the principle of giving priority to the honorable
and the Way of revering Heaven. [66/67/7–10]