2nd day of lunar new year: Grand ceremony held to worship Confucius

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Source: Xinhua | 01-28-2009 11:58

The spirit of China's biggest annual festival has spread to the 700-year-old Confucius Temple in downtown Beijing. On Tuesday morning, the second day of the lunar new year,the temple held worship ceremonies and a performance of ancient music. Over 200 tourists from Taiwan and the Hong Kong and Macao SARs attended the event and said prayers.

On Tuesday morning, the second day of the lunar new year, the Confucius temple held worship ceremonies and a performance  of ancient music.

The performance was held in the Dacheng Palace, the temple's main building. Traditional instruments dating back a thousand years played sacrificial music at the Confucius memorial. A traditional Chinese costume show was the highlight of the event. For many of the visitors, it was a meaningful way to find some peace and feel some history during the festival.

Hundreds of years ago, the temple is where the imperial families of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties went to remember Confucius. It is older than the Forbidden City and every building, inscription, and cypress tree in the temple is a precious cultural heritage.

The capital tourist office presented the 200 visitors with a toy Ox to wish them a happy and prosperous Chinese new year.