Qufu, hometown of the great sage Confucius, held a grand memorial ceremony to celebrate 2,568th anniversary of Confucius’ birth yesterday. The ceremony was held in front of the huge yellow-eaved Dacheng Hall inside Confucius Temple, Qufu.
During the ceremony, around 3,500 dancers wearing costumes from the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.) gave a performance. Representatives laid flowers in front of a statue of Confucius, and each participant bowed three times toward the statue.
The participants included UNESCO officials, scholars, students and descendants of Confucius from over 20 countries and regions. A further 2,500 students and employees recited classic quotes from “The Analects,” a record of Confucius’ ideas and sayings, in front of the temple.
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, is one of the most influential thinkers the world has known. Confucius’ ideals still remain as the core of values in East Asia today. Annual ceremonies of Confucius’ birth started in 478 BC, the year after his death.