KUCHING: The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (Tsukimi), Korea (Chuseok), Vietnam (Tết Trung Thu), and other countries in East and Southeast Asia.
It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. Its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years.
The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. A calendar that is lunisolar is regulated by the positions of both the Moon and the Sun.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang’e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology.
New Sarawak Tribune spoke to a few people on the festival to find out how they do their preparations and get their well-wishes for the occasion.
GOH LENG YAU, 53, CHAIRMAN
Nowadays, people celebrate the festival to enhance family reunion and togetherness. The full moon is considered a symbol of family reunion in Chinese culture and we want to share this with others, even with the non-Chinese.
RICHARD YEO, 76
Welfare officer
This month’s festival like what happens every year is an occasion to give and receive blessings. Most Chinese will get together with their family members and appreciate the significance of the moon. Since we haven’t held this festival for the past two years due to COVID-19, we are really happy that we can get to celebrate it again this year.
ANATASCIA NEWARD, 26
Admin secretary
Even though the mooncake is a Chinese thing, people of other ethnic groups also enjoy it. I, a Bidayuh, usually celebrate with our friends and colleagues. We usually bring the lanterns out to open spaces such as a beach. This time around, though, we celebrate with members of the Satok SUPP branch.
BILLY AHNEN, 24
Students
I am a student at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and this is my first time celebrating the mooncake festival with my friends. Everything went smoothly in terms of our preparations for the festival. It is a valuable experience for us as Sarawakians.
CHUA WONG CHIANG, 52
Coordinator
This festival encourages people of different communities in the Satok area to celebrate together. In this way it helps to create and maintain social harmony. I hope with people would join us to celebrate together. I expect the celebration to be livelier considering that we have not celebrated for two years due to the pandemic.
