A Chinese traditional "wine ceremony" was
held on Sunday at Southwest University of southwestern China's
Chongqing municipality to remind people of the country's
traditional culture at the time of Christmas.
Students wearing Han-style
clothes held a traditional Chinese "wine ceremony" at Southwest
University in Chongqing on Sunday, December 23, 2007.
Wearing Han-style clothes, more than 20 students, respectively
playing the "hosts" and "guests", revived the wine ceremony in
front of the Confucius sculpture in the university, local Chongqing
Evening News reported.
Taking two bows to "hosts" with cups held to their waists, the
"guests" drank rice wine slowly after "hosts" requited with hands
folded together in front. The wine in the cup shouldn't be drunk up
at once so as to show respect to the "hosts". The whole ceremony
lasted nearly two hours with twelve steps including welcoming
guests, washing cups, obeisance etiquettes, drinking wine and
reciting classic poems.
According to the principal student, "wine ceremony" was an
academic ceremony in ancient China. Local sages are invited to the
grand ceremony in midwinter every year. The ceremony showed respect
to knowledge and people with talents. The students hoped to promote
traditional Chinese culture and recall respect for classical
culture by this activity.
As the ceremony has almost been lost since the Tang Dynasty (618
- 907 AD), the students held the ceremony according to ancient
books from library. The Han-style clothes they wore were also
self-designed referring to historical information.
(CRI December 25, 2007)
