On October 25th, in order to experience Chinese traditional culture, more than 40 overseas students from Italy, Russia, Portugal, Colombia, South Korea, Nigeria and Vietnam gathered at the College of Chinese Language and Culture of Nankai University to make cornel sachets to welcome the coming Double Ninth Festival.
On the scene of the activity, Chinese students told the overseas students about the origins and customs of the Double Ninth Festival. On September 9th of the Lunar calendar, all the relatives will mountaineer for a distant view together, and they will also wear cornel and admire chrysanthemums to avoid disasters, which has the meaning of looking forward to a long and healthy life.
Today, the Double Ninth Festival is also China’s festival for the elderly. As the old saying goes, “expend the respect of the elderly in one’s family to that of other families”, respect and love for the elderly has always been the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation.
It is the first time for Han Maoyu, who comes from Nigeria, to needle and sew. She felt a little bit overwhelmed with the needle, “I have never sewn things, and I feel my hands were shaking all the time. It is not easy to make a sachet.”
Fortunately, Chinese students helped them. Stitch the open of the sachet and both sides, pull the ribbon, and sew up the fringes. Following the above mentioned steps, the overseas students gradually finished their own sachets. Several girls from Italy are very satisfied with their work, hoping to send blessings to their families and friends through sachets.
In the colorful campus cultural activities of Nankai University, the traditional culture takes an important position. “The Double Ninth Festival is a window for foreign students to understand Chinese culture, I hope that they can learn Chinese well, understand Chinese traditional culture, spread Chinese culture, and become a bridge of friendship between China and foreign countries”, said Man Rong, the vice president of the Chinese language and Culture College of Nankai University.
