Mid Autumn Festival Celebration

After the Chinese’s ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ in Chinese lunar 7th month, the ‘Mid Autumn Festival’ “中秋节”, also known as the Moon Festival is on the way…..It fall on 8th month of Chinese lunar calendar, the actual day for the celebration in this year was 14 Sep 2008 Sunday, which is 15th day 8th month of Chinese lunar calendar.

I would say the ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ is more on religion related event, and ‘Mid Autumn Festival’ is more on the Chinese ancient legend related event. Both events having great entertainment elements: I mean during ‘Hungry Ghost Festival’ other then praying and burning the ‘hell-money’ to the pasted away relatives and related ghost and related ‘officers from hell’, the main entertainment for everyone was the ‘Getai’ show, whether you are religious or free thinker, you can watch the show. In ‘Mid Autumn Festival Celebration’, it was involved children’s entertainment: which it touring around in the dark night with carrying a lantern! That was one of my favorite activities! I remember 20-30 years ago during my young age, the place I stay was not so developed, hence many place surround my house was quiet dark at night; with groups of friends who carrying the lanterns, we had brighten where the places we passing by! That was great fun of that!

With the highly developed city today, if you live in the city, you hardly find such dark place to see the power of the light from the little candles from your lantern, unless you stay near the forest or the place which far from the city.

That was the entertainment for adult, which is the tasting of the moon cake during this event. You can see so many advertisements about moon cake made from various famous restaurant, cake shops, and hotels. It was really competitive in selling moon cakes since 1st Sep, because the actual day for celebration was at 14th Sept, means after 14 Sept or even earlier, not much people will like to buy it due to the season had past. More and more tasted moon cake had been created: durian tasted, chocolate tasted….it even having moon cake feed with ice-creams! I prefer the traditional tasted which filled with lotus seeds.