SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 Worship Ceremony for Yellow Emperor of Chinese nation, a traditional annual event hosted by Overseas Chinese Cultural Heritage Foundation in San Francisco, will focus on the theme of peace and friendship, the event's organizers said Sunday.

About 3,000 people from various Chinese communities in Northern California will participate in the event, its fifth edition, to be held at the Civic Center in downtown San Francisco on March 22 next year in partnership of the San Francisco-based Chinese American Association of Commerce and 50 other Chinese organizations and groups in the Bay Area, Lili Zhang, chair of the event's organizing committee, told a news briefing.

Zhang noted that the worshiping of Yellow Emperor aims to pay tribute to the common ancestors of all Chinese people including overseas Chinese and to carry on the traditional heritage of Chinese culture.

The event will also serve the purpose of consolidating unity among various Chinese communities in Northern California and their efforts to bolster friendship with the American people, said Zhang.

"Each year we have different themes for our worshiping ceremony, and the 2020 event will focus on peace and friendship, which reflects our desire to realize harmony among various countries," she added.

Elected officials of local governments in the Bay Area are also expected to attend the grand ceremony to celebrate the contributions of Chinese communities to the prosperity of the United States, according to the organizers.