Cardiff Confucius Institute celebrates Diwali Mela and Mid-Autumn Festival with local partners
22 October 2025
This month Cardiff Confucius Institute celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival by taking part in Insole Court’s Moon Festival and also by participating in the 20th anniversary of Diwali Mela at St Fagans Museum in Cardiff.
Insole Court
Insole Court’s Moon Festival on Friday 3 October was an atmospheric celebration of music, dance and cultural activities, taking place in the evening and culminating in a magical lantern parade through the historic gardens as the sun set.
Tutors and volunteers from Cardiff Confucius Institute were invited to deliver Chinese arts and crafts sessions for families in the Mansion House. The activities included lantern making workshops, traditional Chinese painting and paper cutting.
All of the activities were very popular and helped to create a memorable celebration of community associated with the Mid-Autumn festival, a time when families gather to appreciate the full moon, symbolizing unity and prosperity.
St Fagans Museum
St Fagan’s Museum hosted a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Diwali Mela was on Saturday 11th October. Diwali Mela, also known as the "Festival of Lights," is one of the most important festivals in Indian culture, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
This year, the event marks its 20th anniversary in Wales, which is of great significance. Organisers invited Cardiff Confucius Institute to participate in this multicultural celebration in the form of a Chinese dance performance.
As the only invited Chinese cultural performance team, volunteers from the Cardiff Confucius Institute, Lim (Li) Simeng and Guo Yanan, performed the Chinese classical dance "The Play Says戏文说." The dance, with its graceful and gentle movements accompanied by music rich in Eastern charm, vividly demonstrated the Chinese cultural tradition of "expressing emotions through dance." The audience reacted enthusiastically, showing great interest in the lightness and beauty of the Chinese dance as well as the performers' costumes. After the performance, the organisers awarded the two dancers with honorary medals to express their sincere gratitude to the Cardiff Confucius Institute.
The celebration featured a wide range of exciting activities, including traditional Indian music and dance performances, laughter yoga experiences, Mehndi (Indian hand painting), saree try-ons, street food, and a handicraft market. The venue was beautifully decorated with traditional Indian patterns and Rangoli (coloured powder paintings), creating a festive atmosphere that attracted over 3,000 participants.
“The Institute was delighted to be invited to participate in both local cultural events. One of the aims of our organisation is to promote cultural exchange between communities and these events allowed us to enhance interaction and understanding with the local community as well as cultural exchange between China and India using art as the medium to showcase the unique charm of Chinese culture.”