2008年萬佛城慶祝懷少節

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「老者安之，少者懷之」，是中國人心目中理想社會的寫照，也是宣公上人在萬佛聖城以及各分支道場大力提倡的風氣。

每年春天舉行懷少節，秋天舉辦敬老節，已經成為萬佛聖城的傳統，也是育良小學、培德中學學生一展才藝的好機會。

萬佛聖城在舉辦懷少節之初（一九九四年起），完全由中小學學生擔綱演出各項節目，邀請附近社區的學生與家長來同樂，並共進素齋。以後規模不斷擴大，公元二○○○年時，曼都仙諾郡有六所學校，共五百多位學生、來賓參加懷少節，各校學生都表演他們擅長的才藝，頗收交流觀摩之效。二○○一年則增至八百多位學生，及近兩百位來賓參與這項盛會。

今年（二ＯＯ八）懷少節主題為「珍惜自然‧保護地球（Cherishing Nature & Protecting the Earth）」，鼓勵年輕的一代關心環境問題，共同維護地球的健康。表演節目包括：話劇、唱遊、中國舞蹈、國樂演奏、日本太鼓（Taiko），以及舞龍、舞獅等。

這些由學生擔綱的東方藝術表演，一點也不遜色於專業人士的演出水準，大大開了每位來賓的眼界。同時突破了「舞龍舞獅只有在中國城內才看得見」的印象，讓這項中國的傳統文化走入美國當地社區。

曼都仙諾郡參事麥克．戴爾極為認同懷少節的價值。他說在他童年時代，社區內也有類似的慶祝活動，但這項傳統已日漸湮沒在歷史的洪流裡。

舉辦懷少節當然不僅止於表演節目、大家同樂一番而已。上人提倡懷少節的用意在提醒大家共同來關懷年輕的一輩，讓成年人以身作則，為下一代樹立人格典範，使小朋友獲得良好的品德陶冶，認識未來肩負的責任。正如一位參加萬佛聖城懷少節慶祝活動的來賓有感而發，對小朋友的致詞：

「你們是我們最大的財產，我們活在一個充滿仇恨、暴力與種族歧視的社會裏，孩子們！能否改變就看你們的了！」

CTTB 2008 Cherishing Youth Day

"The elders are peacefully settled and the young are cherished." This is a utopian vision of the Chinese. It is also a trend that the Venerable Master strove to promote at the City and its branch monasteries.

Cherishing Youth Day in the spring and Honoring Elders Day in the fall have become annual traditions at the City. Moreover, Cherishing Youth Day has become an excellent opportunity for students at Instilling Goodness Elementary and Developing Virtue Secondary Schools to demonstrate their talents.

When the City first began to organize Cherishing Youth Day, the City's own secondary and elementary students did all the performances while other local students and parents were invited to the festivities and a vegetarian meal. The scope of this celebration has expanded over the years. By the year 2000, more than 500 students and guests from six schools in Mendocino County attended Cherishing Youth Day. Students from visiting schools also performed, and mutual learning resulted. By the year 2001, 800 students and nearly 200 guests attended the event.

The theme for this year’s Cherishing Youth Day (2008) is “Cherishing Nature & Protecting the Earth,” which encouraged the new generation to care about the environment and to work together to protect the Earth. Performances included drama, singing, Chinese dance, Chinese Opera, Taiko drum, lion/dragon dance and more. All of the cultural performances from the East were achieved by students and were comparable to professional standards. The performances really opened the eyes of the guests. At the same time, it broke through the stereotype that, “Lion dances can only be seen in Chinatown” and brought this part of Chinese culture to the United States.

Michael Delbar, member of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, spoke of the value of Cherishing Youth Day. He said when he was a child, similar celebrations and activities were held in his own community. However, this tradition gradually disappeared. Of course, Cherishing Youth Day isn't limited to performances and fun. The Venerable Master established Cherishing Youth Day to remind us to show our concern for the younger generation and to serve as role models for them. That way, our young friends will develop excellent characters and know the responsibilities that they shall carry in the future.

One guest who participated in the City's Cherishing Youth Day told the youngsters, "You children are our greatest treasure. We live in a society where there's hatred, violence, and racism. Young people, it's really up to you to change this!"

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