150 Kindergartners Attend Traditional Initiation Ceremony at Wong Tai Sin Temple
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple held its eighth 'Master Kong Initiated Opening Pen Ceremony' on August 23, with approximately 150 incoming Primary One students donning traditional Confucian robes to participate in rites honoring Confucius. The ancient coming-of-age ritual, one of life's four major ceremonies, aims to bless children as they begin their formal education journey. Ceremony highlights included drumming to express aspirations, applying cinnabar to symbolize the opening of wisdom, and writing the character 'person' to emphasize that learning to be a moral person precedes acquiring knowledge.
Key Points
- The ceremony took place at Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple on August 23, the eighth such 'Opening Pen Ceremony' hosted by the organization
- Approximately 150 children entering Primary One in September participated, each wearing traditional Confucian attire
- Sik Sik Yuen Chairman Lai Chak-sum (Lai Chak-sum) led students and parents in offering incense to Confucius, followed by scripture chanting
- Professor Liu Zhi-peng, Lingnan University, encouraged students to cultivate virtue before pursuing knowledge, guiding them to write the character 'person'
- Parents interviewed said their children developed curiosity about traditional Chinese clothing through the experience and expressed interest in more cultural activities
Why It Matters
The revival of traditional Chinese ceremonies like the Opening Pen Ritual provides young Hong Kong students with direct exposure to Confucian values and cultural heritage at a formative stage, reinforcing identity and moral education as the city continues to balance modernization with cultural preservation .
The revival of traditional Chinese ceremonies like the Opening Pen Ritual provides young Hong Kong students with direct exposure to Confucian values and cultural heritage at a formative stage, reinforcing identity and moral education as the city continues to balance modernization with cultural preservation .