Kapok Festival
Kapok (Cotton Tree) Festival
Origin
The “Kapok Festival” established, is an important advocating humanistic education activity of Yang Ming High School.
All schools with humanities education must attach great importance to literature and art, because literature, poetry, music, art, dance, etc. can fully express the creativity, emotion and wisdom of “people”. Therefore, the school integrates cultural activities into the living environment, creating a place where both teachers and students can be influenced by what they see and hear. The literary and artistic atmosphere makes the campus full of vitality of love and beauty.
Over the years, Kapok represents the spirit of the school, a kind of simple and hard-working blooming. Through a series of activities, Yang Ming students can learn about it, love it and appreciate it. On the other hand, we can also express our creativity and talent in this garden. Integrated into the grand scene of Kapok, leaving the most brilliant memories in Yang Ming.
Connotation
(1) Enhance the cultivation of humanities and arts, put the well-person education concept into practice on campus.
(2) Integrate humanities concepts into life and study, improve the quality of learning.
(3) Develop the school character base courses and create a tradition of campus culture.
(4) Integrate the teaching activities of art subjects and inspire students’ multiple wisdoms.
Festival Itinerary
Kapok blooms from February to April every year first, and its leaves grow later. It has 5 petals of corolla and the color is orange or orange-red. It’s full of “enthusiasm” when the tree is full of blooming flowers. The school organizes a series of activities in this warm spring. It has been more than ten years since the first session in 2001.
Participant
Our school students (new graduate is optional) and teachers. Also parents and community members are welcome to participate.
Kapok Introduction
Cotton (scientific name: Bombax ceiba), also known as Pan Zhi Hua, red cotton tree, hero tree, etc. It’s native to India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It has a straight trunk and it is covered with thorns. It is a large deciduous tree that grows in tropical and subtropical regions. It’s about 10-25 meters high.
The appearance of Kapok can change a lot: in spring, the tree is orange-red; in summer, it’s full of green leaves; in autumn, the branches and leaves are bleak; in winter, it becomes a bare tree with cold branches. Four seasons with four styles. The flowers are orange-red, blooming from March to April, flower blooming first, and then the leaves growing. The tree shape has a masculine beauty.
In the forest, the top of the Kapok tree often surpasses other trees, so it’s called the hero tree. In southern China, it is also called a hero tree because of its height.