Organized by the Confucius Institute at the University ofLjubljana, a celebration of the Chongyang Festival was held at theRetirement home Trnovo - Center starejših občanov Trnovo Trnovo onthe afternoon of October 23. The Chongyang Festival, also known asthe Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Chinese festival tohonor and pay respect to elders. Chinese ambassador to SloveniaZhang Xianyi and his wife, Director of the retirement home BlazRazvornik, Director of the Confucius Institute Ljubljana DanijelaVoljc, volunteer teachers from the Confucius Institute, Chinesestudents, students from the University of Ljubljana, children fromthe primary school Trnovo and close to 100 elderly peoplecelebrated the festival.
Ambassador Zhang introduced the history of Chongyang Festival andexpressed festive greetings to the elderly people, hoping thecelebration could bring warmth and happiness to them. He alsowished the Chongyang celebration to become a cultural activity thatthe Confucius Institute Ljubljana can pride itself on.
The retirement home was decorated with a distinctive Chinese stylefeaturing Chinese tea culture, Chinese calligraphy, Chinesepainting, Peking opera facial masks, Chinese lanterns, and Chineseknots. The program of the celebration included various forms ofperformance, such as Chinese songs and dancing, martial art, andthe playing of such Chinese musical instrument as cucurbit flute,gu zheng and bamboo flute. Bao Jie, a teacher from China introducedin Slovenian the culture of Chongyang Festival. Students studyingChinese at the University of Ljubljana presented the Chinese teaceremony. Children from the primary school Trnovo sung the Chinesesongs they had newly learnt. The staff and elderly people at theretirement home played the harmonica and performed traditionalSlovenian songs and dancing.