My father was right: We all need ceremony

Editor's Note: Five China Daily journalists share their feelings, insights and observations about Tuesday's grand events in Beijing

I have no sense of ceremony. I thought I didn't need rituals in my life.

I don't celebrate birthdays, or wedding anniversaries. I didn't even have a wedding.

I told my father I don't need a noisy party to showcase my commitment, wearing a borrowed white gown that might have lipstick stains.

"But you must do something!" my father said.

I said we would exchange rings and vows in our studio apartment's small balcony, which we used as storage, with no audience.

"See! That's your ceremony, only a little different," my father said. "Everyone needs ceremony."

The need for ceremony was embedded deep in my father's DNA.

As far as I can remember, every Friday was movie night. When the power went out, which was very frequent when I was young, my family would have a candle night. All family members sat around a candle and talked.

When I was 9, my father insisted on taking a family boat tour along the Yangtze River from my hometown Chongqing to Shanghai.

"We are living by the great river. We should celebrate it by traveling along it," my father said.

During that 20-day boat trip, I wrote in my diary every day and ultimately decided to become a writer when I grew up. Now I have been working as a journalist for 10 years.

Back then, I thought my dad was one of those playful people who always liked planning something interesting.

But after he had a heart attack and passed away six years ago, I realized it was more than that. Those ceremonies, big and small, were important to him, and they serve as my best memories of him.

National Day is a big ceremony. It celebrates the rise of a nation, and more so, its people.

Every Chinese person will have a personal memory for this special date, especially for those who participate in the celebration events.

A fruit farmer told me that joining the celebration has been the most important experience in her life. She was one of 100,000 people in the grand parade marching past Tian'anmen Square. Themed "Farmland of Hope", her unit mostly consisted of farmers.

"My unit has more than 2,000 people. On television I was no more than a spot," she said. "But it is a stage our country gives to us farmers. This experience means a lot to me."

A schoolteacher told me he was part of the celebration for the 60th National Day, and he still keeps the invitation and props he used in the parade 10 years ago.

"Keeping souvenirs from that event is also a way to record my life. I have faced huge changes in my life in the past decade," said the teacher, who marched again in the parade on Tuesday.

"I am just an ordinary man, but in such a big event I feel connected to our great nation. I can feel the pulse of our country. It is very rare in my life and is very meaningful."

Covering the celebration was also a memorable experience for me. My colleagues and I arrived at the square before sunrise. How many times do you get to watch the sun rise on your face at Tian'anmen Square?

I will remember the grand parade and mass pageant, which showed the rise of the country and also reminded me of who I am and the condition of the world I am living in.

My father was right. Everyone needs ceremony.