Coming of Age Ceremony in Taipei

台北孔廟成年禮

Ling-Yi Hsieh, David Lee

【新聞關鍵字】

1. coming of age: ph. 成年

2. ceremony: n. 典禮

3. sponsor: v. 贊助

4. cap: v. 給…戴帽

5. hairpin: n. 髮簪

6. deputy: a. 副的

7. significance: n. 意義

Last Sunday the Rotary club sponsored a traditional coming of age ceremony at the Confucious temple in Taiwan. 82 foreign exchange students, aged 17 to 18 were given the opportunity to participate. French student Margaret Bouron enjoyed the Confucious way of celebrating adulthood.

上週日扶輪社贊助台北孔廟傳統成年禮。82名年紀在17到18歲外國交換學生，得以參加此活動。法國學生瑪格莉特‧包倫很喜愛這種慶祝成年的孔式方法。

[Margaret Bouron, French Exchange Student]:

“We don’t have this kind of ceremony. For us 18 is just the age of fun so it’s not like this.”

法國交換學生瑪格莉特‧包倫說：「我們沒有這種典禮。對我們來說，18歲正是玩樂的年紀，所以和這有所不同。」

“Yeah I think it’s really nice, it’s really nice to have a ceremony like this. It’s official and you will remember this for your whole life. So I think it’s really nice.”

「對啊，我認為這很棒，有一個像這樣的典禮真的很棒。這是正式的，而且讓你終身難忘。」

The students, from 17 different countries including Germany, Denmark and America, really appreciated this opportunity to learn about different cultures, as this student from America explains,

來自17個不同國家，包括德國、丹麥和美國，學生非常感謝有機會學習不同的文化，就像這位美國學生所說的，

[Clarissa Montgomery, American Exchange Student]:

“See what other cultures are like and other people and to understand the way other people whose culture may be very different from mine live, and to appreciate the similarities and the differences.”

美國交換學生克萊莉莎‧蒙特哥蒙利說：「看看不同文化是什麼樣子，還有其他人，以及了解文化和我生活大相逕庭的人是怎麼做，並感謝這些相似及差異。」

The participants first wash their hands in a golden bowl to symbolize the washing away of old habits. Then, after walking under a table, the men were given a capping ceremony. The women were also given a hairpin ceremony to mark the start of adulthood. Taipei’s deputy mayor Li Yong Ping was there and told us about the ceremony’s significance.

這些參加者首先在金碗中洗手，象徵洗去舊習。接著，在走過桌底之後，男性接受加冠禮，女性則接受髮簪禮，表示成年的開始。台北市副市長李永萍在現場分享關於典禮的意義。

【新聞關鍵字】

8. hand down: ph. 把…傳下去

9. take on: ph. 承擔

10. choreograph: v. 編舞

11. Wing Chun: n. 詠春

[Li Yong Ping, Deputy Mayor, Taipei]:

“When they have the opportunity to get in touch with Chinese culture and understand the meaning behind the coming of age ceremony, I believe they will play their role well in society. They will know their social responsibilities, understand different cultures and experience it in depth. This is a good example and a great platform for handing down the Chinese tradition.”

台北市副市長李永萍說：「當他們有機會接觸中華文化，且了解成年禮背後的意義，我相信他們可以在社會上扮演好他們的角色。他們會知道自己的社會責任，了解並深度體驗不同的文化。這是傳承中華傳統的佳例，及很好的平台。」

In the west, the turn to adulthood is celebrated in a completely different way. Brett Clarke, a student from America has been living in Taiwan for 3 months. He liked the moral responsibilities that the ceremony represents.

在西方，慶祝邁入成年的方法很不一樣。美國學生布萊德‧克拉克已在台灣住了三個月。他喜歡典禮所意涵的道德責任。

[Brett Clark, American Exchange Student]:

“There’s a lot of differences between this and the United States. I think this is so much more ceremonial and special than the United States.”

美國交換學生布萊德‧克拉克說：「這和在美國的情形有很多差異。我想這比在美國富有更多的儀式性，也更特別。」

“It’s about becoming responsible for your actions, a lot of it’s about responsibility and it’s about being able to accept the challenges in life and being able to take them on.”

「這表示開始對你的行為負責，更是關於責任，關於有能力接受並承擔生活中的挑戰。」

Traditional music was played by local high school students and a ceremonial dance was performed. The foreign exchange students also gave a well choreographed Wing Chun performance on the stage.

由當地中學生演奏傳統樂曲，且有儀式舞的表演。外國交換學生也在舞台上演出精彩的自編詠春拳。

本新聞影音出處：新唐人電視台英語

http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-12-16/439985257242.html