【Art & Culture on Thursday】The Tainan Confucius Temple Cultural Festival’s Eight-Tone Music Tribute to the Sage Kicks Off This Weekend!

By / MOOK Travel Life Network Editorial Team

To commemorate the 2564th anniversary of Confucius’ birth, the 2014 Confucius Temple Cultural Festival is themed “Eight-Tone Music Tribute to the Sage,” using traditional eight-tone musical instruments to pay homage to Confucius and honor the Great Sage and Foremost Teacher. Mayor William Lai, who also serves as chairman of the Tainan City Confucius Temple Cultural Foundation, will not onlypersonally apply cinnabar to the forehead of first-grade elementary school students to open their wisdom at the opening ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. on September 27 (Saturday) in the Minglun Hall of the Confucius Temple, but will also preside over the grand Confucius Worship Ceremony in the early morning of Teachers' Day (September 28).The Tainan City Cultural Affairs Bureau has also collaborated with the Tainan City Confucius Temple Cultural Foundation to offer limited-edition bookmarks to participants of its guided tours during the Confucius Worship Ceremony to be held in the early morning of September 28 as a souvenir for this year's Teachers' Day.

“Cinnabar Wisdom Opening”Since the launch of the Confucius Temple Cultural Festival series in 2011, it has received an enthusiastic response from parents of new students every year. This year, the mayor will again personally apply cinnabar to the right hand’s thenar of first-grade students entering national education to open their wisdom, symbolizing the unlocking of children’s infinite potential. The Cultural Research Division explained that in ancient times, when children entered school, they would first bow to the statue of Confucius, then perform a ceremony to honor their teachers, and afterward the teacher would use a cinnabar brush to mark punctuation on their reading materials before starting lessons—this was called “opening the brush.” Zhongyi Elementary School next to the Confucius Temple has incorporated this ancient tradition into its local culture curriculum, which is quite meaningful.The “Cinnabar Wisdom Opening” event will be held at 8:30 a.m. on September 27 (Saturday) and is by advance registration only.

To encourage citizens and tourists from home and abroad to rise early and attend the Confucius Worship Ceremony at 4:30 a.m. on September 28 (Sunday) at Tainan Confucius Temple, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will also present commemorative bookmarks to those who sign up for the “Great Sage Worship Guided Tour.” Moreover, those who register for the Cinnabar Wisdom Opening Ceremony and thematic lectures and stay for the full duration will receive calligraphy and paintings created on the spot on silk fans by artists. To expand public participation in traditional festivals, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has also added two new activities this year:“Bring Confucius Home – Rubbing Steles DIY” and “Experience of the Six Arts: Archery.”Both events are available for hands-on experiences during the festival period.

The Tainan City Confucius Temple Cultural Foundation has held the Confucius Worship Ceremony at Taiwan’s First School, the Confucius Temple, for over 300 years, maintaining tradition year after year with fixed spring and autumn ceremonies each year. The autumn ceremony held on September 28 every year at the Confucius Temple is especially grand and holds profound significance as part of Taiwan’s intangible cultural heritage. To promote the educational spirit of the Great Sage and Foremost Teacher Confucius, who believed in educating all without discrimination, the “2014 Confucius Temple Cultural Festival” series of events organized by the Tainan City Cultural Affairs Bureau includes the Great Sage Worship Guided Tour, the Special Exhibition on Confucius Temple and Taiwan’s Cultural Heritage, thematic lectures, elegant music performances, the Tracing Chen??’s Footsteps in Tainan Guided Tour, the Confucius Temple Tour, “Bring Confucius Home,” the Six Arts Archery Experience, and a commemorative postmark. All tours and guided visits center around the Confucius Temple, combining historical depth with educational value.

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