Despite unfavorable weather conditions, the Chinese community at the University of Debrecen held their traditional Mid-Autumn Festival on Saturday. This year, the music and dance event joined the Panda Day programs at Nagyerdei Cultural Park. The Mid-Autumn Festival, a celebration with over a thousand years of history—whose signature food is the mooncake—takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month each year according to the lunar calendar.
In Debrecen, the festival has been celebrated since 2020, thanks to the initiative of the instructors and students from the Faculty of Humanities Confucius Institute.
– “It is a great honor for us to celebrate the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Reunion Festival, which is a significant tradition in China. Families gather to eat traditional mooncakes, expressing their hopes for a better life,” said Liu Yonghan, one of the Chinese hosts of the event, in his Hungarian-language welcome speech.
Vali, a former student of the Faculty of Humanities and now an interpreter for Chinese performers, was among the first to earn a degree in Hungarian studies at the University of Debrecen. It was no surprise that she took on the role of hostess and interpreter.
The event also gave visitors of ZOO Debrecen a chance to experience Chinese culture.
– “In addition to the students of the Faculty of Humanities, the Chinese Students’ Association of Debrecen played a crucial role in organizing and preparing the event, providing performers, instruments, and traditional attire for the presentations, for which they deserve thanks,” said Pál Csontos, the Hungarian director of the Confucius Institute at the Faculty of Humanities.
Despite the chilly weather and rain, many people enjoyed the programs.
– “An old saying goes that if an event is blessed by rain, it brings blessings to the entire community, meaning that the heavens have graced the event and its participants,” said Cui Xianjun, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the Faculty of Humanities, during his opening remarks.
The performances were kicked off by host Liu Yonghan (Vali), who played “The Evening Song of Fishing Boats” on the Chinese zither guzheng. Dancers in traditional costumes then performed a choreography called “Send Your Light to the Bright Moon,” followed by a guitar solo and a rendition of the song “The Sound of Snowfall,” offering a glimpse into the enchanting world of Chinese culture.
(unideb.hu)
