The ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius is called "libation ceremony". Both Buddhism and libation mean to show and give, which means to show music and dance and give sacrifices such as wine during festivals to show respect for Confucius. The Confucius Temple in Beijing is the main place where emperors of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties held national ceremonies to worship Confucius.

With the praise and seal of the emperors of past dynasties, the ceremony became more and more grand, and the ritual vessels, musical instruments, movements and dance scores were also awarded by the emperors. Emperors of past dynasties visited the main sacrifice in person, sent officials to offer sacrifices, or paid homage on the sidewalk, totaling 196 times.

At first, it was only once a year in autumn, and later it was increased to twice in spring and autumn. Later, people held a big sacrifice on August 27th of the lunar calendar, which is said to be Confucius' birthday. On this day, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius was very grand, and even students studying in private schools and schools had to take a holiday for one to three days to show their respect. At first, the people who participated in Confucius' sacrifice were limited to the direct descendants of Confucius. After Confucius was regarded as a national ceremony, family sacrifices were still carried out as usual. Most national sacrifices are made by ministers, local officials specially appointed by the emperor or the emperor himself.