Cross-faith ceremony marks Winter Solstice
Over 8,000 people from around the globe, including religious leaders, government officials and leaders from different professions, gathered in Hong Kong on a cold Thursday morning to celebrate Winter Solstice, the traditional day for ancestor worship, which falls on Friday this year.
The 2017 Winter Solstice Ancestor Worship Ceremony held at Hong Kong AsiaWorldExpo gathered delegates from different religious groups in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Japan and the United States, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
Joining them were representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan, lawmaker from the city’s largest political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, was the guest of honor to officiate at this year’s ceremony.
“We hope to deliver the message of parental respect through the ceremony because it is a cardinal virtue in the traditional Chinese culture,” said Master Sheng Miao, spokesperson of the Hong Kong Buddhist Education Foundation, organizer of the ceremony.
“We also prayed for Hong Kong, for the country and (for) the world to resolve conflicts and resume peace and stability,” he added.
The ancestor worship ceremony is a cross-nation, cross-race and cross-religion event, said Wong Yat-fai, president of the Winter Solstice Ancestor Worship Ceremony Organizing Committee, who is also president of the Sage Education Association.
It is of great significance to instill social morality in Hong Kong and the international community, to carry on the excellent Chinese traditional culture, to unite the people from across the Straits, and to unite all ethnic groups and religions in the world, Wong said.
The ceremony, held by the Hong Kong Buddhist Education Foundation for five consecutive years, is conducted according to ancient Chinese ceremony, he added.
Winter Solstice is also a traditional Chinese festival to celebrate the end of harvest, and a time for family reunions to celebrate the longest night of the year.