Date: 3rd October 2009 Saturday
Time:8:00am~11:59pm
Location: Esplanade, Penang
Organizer: Penang State Tourism Development & Culture
The Mid Autumn Festival commonly known in Malaysia as the Lantern and Moon Cake Festival is celebrated widely by everyone in our multi racial society. Everyone gets to enjoy moon cakes, some made from lard and the halal moon cakes made from vegetable oil.
In conjunction to this festival that falls on 3rd October 2009, The Penang State Tourism Development and Culture is organising a Pesta Tanglung with cultural events and performances for all ages at the Padang Kota Lama (Esplanade) starting at 8 pm till 11pm.
The Legend Behind This Festival
The 3rd of October actually coincides with the 15th day of the eight month of the Chinese calendar. That is when our moon is supposedly to be at its fullest and roundest compare to other time of the year.
The Mid Autumn Festival and the Chinese New Year are considered the two most important celebrations in the Chinese calendar. Traditionally, the Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated on a moderately grand scale compare to the Chinese New Year. It is a time for the family members and friends to gather around to glaze and admire the full moon and at the same time savouring moon cakes, mini yams, water caltrops, cracking ground nuts, peeling pomeloes fruit and sipping Chinese tea. As for the children, they will be having a fun time carrying and parading lilted lanterns around the gardens. For some Cantonese family, the ritual includes praying and burning of joss sticks to deities on the night of the festival.
There are as many versions of legendary stories told as to why the Chinese community pray to the moon and celebrate this particular night. Out of the many legendary stories, the most interesting and touching is the one involving the fate of beautiful lady Chang-O being lifted to the moon where she was forever immortalises there. Legend has it that her beauty is at her greatest on this night when the lunar is at its fullest. That’s why moon cake boxes and sales banners are commonly adorned with pictures of her in the traditional Chinese costume.
The Moon Cake
Traditionally, the delicacy moon cake is made of soft thin pastry with filling of sweeten bean paste. Each cake is about the size of our palm and is round to represent the shape of the full moon. The top of the cake is embossed with insignia of Chinese characters that signify good omen. Some moon cakes have one or even two salted egg yolk in the centre to signify the moon. Each box usually consists of four cakes.
Each year confectioners gets more innovative and try to compete against each other with new version of fillings like pandan, coconut, durian, dragon fruit, cocoa, cheese, green apple paste, yin yong (coffee with tea), honey dew and other ingenious flavourful paste. Even ice cream parlours have come out with ice cream moon cake and health food centre has the fruit jelly moon cake for the health conscious customers. Modern bakeries offer miniature moon cakes with low fat and less sugar while the traditional ones still make moon cakes in the shape of loveable animals and those extra large in diameter.
The moon cakes are purchase more often as gifts for relatives and friends. The Pamelo fruit is an important gift to go along with the moon cake because in Cantonese, the name for this auspicious fruit is “yaw” which has the same vocal speech as “have”.
The Lantern
Lanterns were corporate during ancient China whereby thousands of colourful lanterns were hang out by the locals to brighten up the community.
The lanterns continued to play an important part in this festival. Children still carry colourful lanterns wrought in traditional shape of animals which are candle-lighted and modern electrically lighted lanterns in the shape of Malaysia icon, Twin Tower, KL Tower and cartoon characters. For the creative adults, there will be lantern making competition whereby the most creative and beautiful lantern stands to win a prize.
Pesta Tanglung at Padang Kota Lama
With so many different versions of legendary stories and beliefs behind the origin of this festival it difficult to pin point actually how it all started. Whichever it is, the importance is the underlying philosophy and purpose to celebrate this festival. Like all other joyous festivals celebrated in Malaysia, this Lantern and Moon Cake Festival also bring all the people closer together to cultivate a positive relationship despite their religion and race.
Hope everyone will join in the celebration held at Padang Kota Lama from 8pm to 11pm on the 3rd October 2009 and get a glimpse of this season auspicious lunar at its fullest and hopefully get to see Lady Chang-O dancing-floating around the moon.
Date: 3rd October 2009 Saturday
Time:8:00am~11:59pm
Location: Esplanade, Penang
Organizer: Penang State Tourism Development & Culture
The Mid Autumn Festival commonly known in Malaysia as the Lantern and Moon Cake Festival is celebrated widely by everyone in our multi racial society. Everyone gets to enjoy moon cakes, some made from lard and the halal moon cakes made from vegetable oil.
In conjunction to this festival that falls on 3rd October 2009, The Penang State Tourism Development and Culture is organising a Pesta Tanglung with cultural events and performances for all ages at the Padang Kota Lama (Esplanade) starting at 8 pm till 11pm.
The Legend Behind This Festival
The 3rd of October actually coincides with the 15th day of the eight month of the Chinese calendar. That is when our moon is supposedly to be at its fullest and roundest compare to other time of the year.
The Mid Autumn Festival and the Chinese New Year are considered the two most important celebrations in the Chinese calendar. Traditionally, the Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated on a moderately grand scale compare to the Chinese New Year. It is a time for the family members and friends to gather around to glaze and admire the full moon and at the same time savouring moon cakes, mini yams, water caltrops, cracking ground nuts, peeling pomeloes fruit and sipping Chinese tea. As for the children, they will be having a fun time carrying and parading lilted lanterns around the gardens. For some Cantonese family, the ritual includes praying and burning of joss sticks to deities on the night of the festival.
There are as many versions of legendary stories told as to why the Chinese community pray to the moon and celebrate this particular night. Out of the many legendary stories, the most interesting and touching is the one involving the fate of beautiful lady Chang-O being lifted to the moon where she was forever immortalises there. Legend has it that her beauty is at her greatest on this night when the lunar is at its fullest. That’s why moon cake boxes and sales banners are commonly adorned with pictures of her in the traditional Chinese costume.
The Moon Cake
Traditionally, the delicacy moon cake is made of soft thin pastry with filling of sweeten bean paste. Each cake is about the size of our palm and is round to represent the shape of the full moon. The top of the cake is embossed with insignia of Chinese characters that signify good omen. Some moon cakes have one or even two salted egg yolk in the centre to signify the moon. Each box usually consists of four cakes.
Each year confectioners gets more innovative and try to compete against each other with new version of fillings like pandan, coconut, durian, dragon fruit, cocoa, cheese, green apple paste, yin yong (coffee with tea), honey dew and other ingenious flavourful paste. Even ice cream parlours have come out with ice cream moon cake and health food centre has the fruit jelly moon cake for the health conscious customers. Modern bakeries offer miniature moon cakes with low fat and less sugar while the traditional ones still make moon cakes in the shape of loveable animals and those extra large in diameter.
The moon cakes are purchase more often as gifts for relatives and friends. The Pamelo fruit is an important gift to go along with the moon cake because in Cantonese, the name for this auspicious fruit is “yaw” which has the same vocal speech as “have”.
The Lantern
Lanterns were corporate during ancient China whereby thousands of colourful lanterns were hang out by the locals to brighten up the community.
The lanterns continued to play an important part in this festival. Children still carry colourful lanterns wrought in traditional shape of animals which are candle-lighted and modern electrically lighted lanterns in the shape of Malaysia icon, Twin Tower, KL Tower and cartoon characters. For the creative adults, there will be lantern making competition whereby the most creative and beautiful lantern stands to win a prize.
Pesta Tanglung at Padang Kota Lama
With so many different versions of legendary stories and beliefs behind the origin of this festival it difficult to pin point actually how it all started. Whichever it is, the importance is the underlying philosophy and purpose to celebrate this festival. Like all other joyous festivals celebrated in Malaysia, this Lantern and Moon Cake Festival also bring all the people closer together to cultivate a positive relationship despite their religion and race.
Hope everyone will join in the celebration held at Padang Kota Lama from 8pm to 11pm on the 3rd October 2009 and get a glimpse of this season auspicious lunar at its fullest and hopefully get to see Lady Chang-O dancing-floating around the moon.
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