The foot-washing event across the Ketagalan Boulevard, Taipei, in 2014. (Photo : Want China Times)
The mass foot-cleansing event that attracted 20,000 participants last year will be replicated in October in Taiwan's Presidential Office plaza and Ketagalan Boulevard to stress the importance of the traditional family value of filial piety, the event organizers stated on Tuesday.
"You may ask, if I want to wash my parents' feet, why not just do it at home instead of so openly as in the Presidential Office plaza?" the president of the Republic of China Sports Federation Chang Chao-kuo said. Chang is managing the yearly event for the third consecutive year.
According to Chang, they saw heart-pinching results of the previous two events--emotional reunions of parents and their children. These sights are evidence that actions speak louder than words.
He clarified that the event does not target parents only, but also elders, mentors, teachers and coaches. Chang added that the rationale behind the event is to "express our gratitude for those who have helped us with love and dedication."
It is believed that if a person is thankful, he is more likely to be thoughtful and successful, Chang said. He used the example of a martial arts and weightlifting athlete who was elected president of the Chinese Taipei Weightlifting Association before serving as the leader of the country's sports federation.
He said that he has witnessed a lot of conceited athletes who would dismiss their coach's or elders' advice.
"Such athletes more often than not miss the chance to get ahead in their careers," Chang said.
Meanwhile, filial and down-to-earth athletes, such as weighlifting idol Hsu Shu-ching, who became part of the foot-washing events, are reaching higher grounds in their sports career, he added.
Hsu bagged a bronze medal in the 2011 World Weightlifting Championship women's 53-kg category, a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics and a gold medal in the Incheon Asian Games last year.
Around 4,363 pairs of feet were washed in the 2011 on-site foot-cleansing activity, breaking a Guiness World Record for the most number of people washing their elders' feet at the same time.
In Oct. 2014, nearly 20,000 people joined the activity in the plaza of the Presidential Office. Chang is looking forward to getting more than 30,000 people to join the activity on Oct. 11, the day following National Day.
The youth should be active in showing their gratefulness to their elders by returning the favors they have received through this simple activity, Chang said.
Huang Ya-chun, 17, said that she was deeply honored two years ago, to have cleansed the feet of her 103-year-old great grandmother.
"Great grandma often reads the Buddhist sutras to me," she said. "I like spending time with her and sharing what has been happening in our lives."
The traditional ritual summons children to first bow to their parents, kneel to offer them a cup of tea, massage their backs, and then kneel on one knee to cleanse their feet.
