In my family, Mooncake Festival always seem a special occasion every year. Though my family is not big, juz d 5 of us, there's always the merry spirit of the Festival radiating through the household. Especially when we're younger, there's more activities we actively participate in. There's the candle lighting (similar to Deepavali juz without the lamps) with colourful candles. There's the important lantern lighting and parading. Once the porch and living room lights were turned off, we started lighting our candles and lanterns. Soon, we can see 2 more lighted in the opposite houses. It's like an informal competition among the neighbours to see who can light the most lanterns. I think we still hold d winning record as once neighbour kids grow older, there goes the lantern tradition as well.
I love the view of the lanterns' radiance during the first 15 mins. Then we had to either check each lantern to put in another lantern, or to put out lanterns that caught fire. By then, Mom would have prepared the table, fragrance, food, and delicacies for worshipping. I didn't know why, for many years, I didn't get to see the full face of moon on this auspicious day. I'll hope to catch it this year. Once the prayers were fulfilled, we started to help Mom carry the offerings into the house, and later to our stomach, literally. With the TV airing some HK movies, we helped ourselves to the tasty mooncake, smooth jelly, sweet pomelo, occasionally 'cow horn - like' food, and packet drinks. By 1130 pm, our lanterns would either be extinguished or 'become offerings' and the fireworks would start. As law-abiding citizens kononnya, we don't play with fireworks but we love to watch them.
Thinking back, as our lives become revolutionized with smaller and cheaper PC, handphones and better individualized entertainment, some things in the past are worth cherished as these traditions are becoming rarity with the pressure of work and attraction of other form of entertainment. Though just a simple event, the act of being together in the comfort of family makes it a lasting picture in my memory.
I love the view of the lanterns' radiance during the first 15 mins. Then we had to either check each lantern to put in another lantern, or to put out lanterns that caught fire. By then, Mom would have prepared the table, fragrance, food, and delicacies for worshipping. I didn't know why, for many years, I didn't get to see the full face of moon on this auspicious day. I'll hope to catch it this year. Once the prayers were fulfilled, we started to help Mom carry the offerings into the house, and later to our stomach, literally. With the TV airing some HK movies, we helped ourselves to the tasty mooncake, smooth jelly, sweet pomelo, occasionally 'cow horn - like' food, and packet drinks. By 1130 pm, our lanterns would either be extinguished or 'become offerings' and the fireworks would start. As law-abiding citizens kononnya, we don't play with fireworks but we love to watch them.
Thinking back, as our lives become revolutionized with smaller and cheaper PC, handphones and better individualized entertainment, some things in the past are worth cherished as these traditions are becoming rarity with the pressure of work and attraction of other form of entertainment. Though just a simple event, the act of being together in the comfort of family makes it a lasting picture in my memory.
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