Breakaway Destination Guides (International)
Breakaway’s Travel World
A Guide to Golden Lands and Faraway Places
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 It a good idea to check out the wine of the area
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Confucius
Confucianism is the cornerstone of traditional Chinese culture. It is a complete ideological system created by Confucius, based on the traditional culture of
the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Confucianism has dominated a feudal society that in essence has lasted 2000 years and for that reason its influence over the history,
social structure and the people of China cannot be overlooked.
 Beijing has a Guozijian Street also called ChengXianJie in Andingmen.
Living in the State of Lu (Qufu City in Shandong Province) during the Spring and Warring Period (770 BC-476 BC), Confucius was a great educationalist, ideologist
and the founder of Confucianism and private schools in China. He was born on September, 8th, 551 BC. Through his righteousness, optimism and enterprising spirit he has
influenced greatly the character of the Chinese people from generation to generation.
The main idea of Confucius is to administer the country with morals. Regarding personal relationships he once said that 'Do not do unto others what you would not
want others to do unto you'. He advocated the syncretism of nature and human beings and suggested that people live harmoniously with nature. In addition, he thought
that a country should develop culture and economy at the same time. People should not only be benevolent to others but also cherish every object. In short, he aimed to
establish a world of great harmony. For over two thousand years, Confucianism has guided numerous people's behavior and has been the mainstream of Chinese culture. In
recent years, his great ideas have been accepted by many people all over the world.
The Grand Ceremony Dedicated to Confucius (祭孔大典) is held annually on Confucius' Birthday (Sept. 28) to pay homage to Confucius, China's 'First
Teacher.'
A slew of accolades, including a posthumous award of "Supreme Teacher" in 1AD, an imperial decree deeming him a "Grand Master" in 581AD, and the bestowing
of the title "Prince of Culture" in 739AD led to Confucius' continued popularity.
The Confucian ceremony has been traced to the
During the
The modern Confucian ceremony is 60-minutes long and celebrated at Qufu
The ceremony starts with three drum rolls and a procession of attendants, musicians, dancers and participants who include political leaders, school principals and students,
musicians in Ming Dynasty style red robes and black hats and 64 dancers dressed in Soong and Ming Dynasty style yellow silk robes with dark blue waistbands and black hats.
Each person must stop every five steps and pause before continuing to his designated spot where each person remains standing for the entire ceremony.
The next portion of the ceremony involves opening the gates of the temple, which are only opened during the Confucian ceremony. A sacrifice is buried and the spirit of Confucius
is welcomed into the temple. After three bows, food and drink, which traditionally included a pig, a cow, and a goat, is offered as a sacrifice to Confucius. Nowadays, livestock
have been replaced with fruit and other offerings at some ceremonies including the one at the Confucius Temple in Taiwan.
After the food offering, “The Song of Peace” is played with traditional Chinese instruments while the dancers, who are all students, perform the
Incense is offered and after a few moments of chanting, there is another round of three bows. Next, each official group makes a presentation and, in Taiwan, the president offers
incense before chanting a blessing and giving a short address. Some years the president of Taiwan is unable to attend so another high ranking political person delivers the speech
on his behalf. When the president finishes chanting, there is another round of triple bows.
The sacrificial feast is removed to symbolize it has been eaten by the spirit of Confucius. His spirit is then escorted out of the temple. A final round of three bows precedes
the burning of spirit money and prayers. The participants move from their appointed places to watch the pile of money and prayers burn. They return to their places before the
gates of the temple are closed.
Once the gates are locked, the participants exit and the ceremony concludes with the participants and observers feasting on a 'wisdom cake'. It is said eating the special
rice cake will bring luck with one’s studies so hundreds of students line up each year hoping a bite of this cake will make them as smart as Confucius or at least garner better academic
performance.
"To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100 years." | |
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Asian Guides
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