On September 28, the birthday of Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC, a great Chinese teacher, philosopher, and political theorist), the Wuxu Period Confucius Grand Ceremony was held at the 35th China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival, which is hosted by the People’s Government of Shandong Province and ignited people’s passion to respect the scholars of the past.
It is said that Chinese rituals and music originated from Shandong thousands of years ago, both of which could be attributed to the Confucius family. On the morning of September 28, the Wuxu Period Confucius Grand Ceremony was held in Qufu, which involved procedures of opening the gate of the Confucius Temple, opening the door of the room, offering flower baskets, performing a memorial dance accompanied by music, reading funeral orations etc., which showed great respect to the scholars and sages of the past.
The Confucius Grand Ceremony is a large scale music dance dedicated the birthday of Confucius. The name, time, site, important set of etiquette, sacrificial offerings and sacrificial utensils, dance accompanied by music, and congratulatory messages, etc. are strictly stipulated in The Standard of Public Memorial Service of Confucius Grand Ceremony at Confucius Temple in Qufu. At the Ceremony this year, the details of the stage set were improved and the sense of ceremony enhanced, which become a bright spot.
Besides the conventional events, such as the Opening Ceremony, Awarding Ceremony of the 13th UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy, Ceremony of Confucius in 2018, the Confucius Culture Festival this year has also planned many other activities, including International Symposium on “The Doctrine of Confucius and Mencius and Chinese National Spirit”, 2018 China (Jining) Educational Tourism International Marketing Conference, International Education Seminar of UNESCO, and Tourism in Holy City in the East by Guests of the 1st Confucian Businessmen Conference, Exhibition of Selected Calligraphy and Painting Works on Family Sayings of Confucius etc.
