East China’s Jiangsu province staged a series of colorful activities on Tuesday to commemorate the Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine’s Day, the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage which contains rich traditional folk culture.
On Tuesday afternoon, a commemorative activity marking the Qixi Festival was jointly sponsored by Jiangsu Provincial Office for Cultural and Ethical Progress and Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation to connect the romantic scenes of the Qixi Festival across the province through offline and online live broadcast.
“Today's activities let us feel the traditional customs of the Qixi Festival, listen to the moving love stories spread in Jiangsu from ancient times to the present, and also let us have a deeper understanding of the cultural connotation of the Qixi Festival, so as to better inherit and carry forward the traditional virtues and fine family customs”, a tourist said.
The New Era Civilization Practice Centers across Jiangsu carried out a series of activities to integrate traditional culture with modern civilization.
Residents of Qixia Sub-district in Nanjing gathered at the community park to hold a garden party. Community workers and art enthusiasts presented wonderful performances such as songs and instrumental performances to the residents. The community's golden and silver wedding couples were thrust to the spotlight at the celebration.
A community in Gulou District, Xuzhou City collaborated with a professional photography team to take free wedding commemorative photos for couples aged 70 and above, using light and shadow to capture their happy moments.
“We've been married for over 40 years, and my husband and I are quite happy”, a resident of Qixia Sub-district, Nanjing, said.
“I have always wanted to take a wedding photo. Today, the community gave us this opportunity to fulfill our wish, so today we are particularly excited”, a retired Teacher in Xuzhou, said.
Various parts of the province witnessed the peak of new couples registering marriage certificates. Seven marriage registration service centers in Huai'an City went all out to register marriages for newlyweds. 120 couples in Qingjiangpu District went through the formalities for marriage registration. In Lianyungang, 10 newlyweds tied the knot by making traditional Chinese love promises. More than 30 single youth in Nantong gathered to participate in interactive games to enhance their mutual understanding.
