Confucius Memorial Ceremony and the 2257th Birthday Celebration for Confucius were held in the Confucius Temple on September 28 in Taichung City, and Deputy Mayor Hsiao served as the main dedication officer. The ancient ceremony, including livestock sacrifice and BaYi Dance attracted over 1,000 visitors. Some foreigners took the Ceremony seriously, and took photos and inquired about the meaning and process of the whole Ceremony. 

At 5 AM, the main dedication officer offered sacrifices to Confucius in Chungtei Hall, and commenced the Confucius Memorial Ceremony at 6 AM in Tacheng Hall. The ceremonial procedures included positioning of all dedication officers, music players, BaYi dancers, and sacrifice offers, lightening candles in Tacheng Hall and 2-side rooms, and opening Tacheng Gate, which was only allowed once a year, then offering food, incensing, primary dedication, reading the prayer, secondary dedication, final dedication, and finishing the dedicated wine and meat by the main dedication officer. Finally, closing Tacheng Gate marked the end of the whole ceremony.

Students of LiXing Elementary School performed BaYi Dance every year, and they performed unified steps and gestures under the music. This critical and complicated dance required dancers specially screened and trained for a long time, and it was a difficult task for the children to followed the dancing movements without any errors. The dance won the applause of all audiences.

Each year, many foreigners come to the Festival, therefore, the hosting unit provided bilingual services (English-Chinese) to explain the whole process this year. In addition, there were many female government employees working as dedication officers and conducting officers this year.

Yearly Ceremony is divine and rare, therefore, a large group of students and international tourists are usually attracted. This year, there were over 1,000 visitors, among those, 200 junior and senior students from National Taichung University wore their uniforms as future teachers in the ceremony, expressing their respects to Confucius, the model to all teachers.

Chief Lai of Confucius Temple Administration Office stated that granting the “wisdom cake” and “happiness and longevity noodle” has replaced the custom of plucking ‘wisdom hair’ since years ago due to environmental protection, and has been highly welcomed to the public.