"In the autumn night the bright moon hangs, and its lustre is moistened with the heavy dews." The Confucius Institute for Business at Matej Bel University (CIB at UMB) and the Windows of Shanghai of the State Scientific Library of Slovakia at Banská Bystrica (SVK at BB) jointly held the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Local people are invited to experience and appreciate the Chinese traditional culture. This celebration is composed of three parts: "Talking about the Mid-Autumn Festival","Singing the Mid-Autumn Festival" and "Tasting the Mid-Autumn Festival". The event was bilingual in English and Slovak, with Miss Maria Onderufová, the head of the Windows of Shanghai, as the interpreter.

Talking about the Mid-Autumn Festival

The event begins with a cultural lecture about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Associate Professor Yan WANG introduced the cultural connotation of family values and folk features of moon worship and moon appreciation with wines and poems, and, of course, moon cakes. The knowledge quiz during her explanation brought about many raising hands to answer the questions. The lecture and the quizlet not only gave the audience an understanding of the history, the legend and the customs of the Festival, but also brought them into a deep feeling of “As the bright moon shines over the sea, From far away you share this moment with me.”

Singing the Mid-Autumn Festival

Guzheng, poetry and calligraphy set off a climax of the activity. Accompanied by Mrs. Wang's guzheng, Mr. Xiaolin YAN recited Su Shi's "Water Melody Song" and wrote the long-renowned lines of "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moonlight, even if we are thousands of miles apart." The ethereal guzheng, the refined poetry and the elegant calligraphy all allowed the audience to immerse themselves in the traditional and oriental culture.

Tasting the Mid-Autumn Festival

The sense of cultural experience deepens with traditional folk activities. CIB at UMB organized festival games such as lantern making, Touhu (throwing arrows into pots), and Wuziqi (Five-in-a-Row), and also prepared mooncakes with various fillings such as five kernels, sesame seeds, and jujube paste. The audience participated in the activities with great interest, making the whole event enjoyable.

Conclusion

Finally, our Slovak director, Miroslava Knapková, thanked CIB at UMB for bringing a wonderful evening to the local people and SVK at BB for the strong support. She also thanked the audience for their enthusiastic participation, emphasizing the importance of cultural exchanges for social development and progress.