THIS year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept 21, is considered to be one of the biggest occasions for the Chinese community.
It will be still celebrated but toned down as the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihood of many people.
When the festival was approaching in previous years, many parents, with their children in tow, would flock to the shops that were selling traditional lanterns. For the children, carrying the lanterns of various colours and sizes was the most anticipated activity during the celebration.
Then, there is the must-have mooncakes that make the traditional event livelier and meaningful.
Buletin Mutiara today managed to garner some comments from several associations on their plans to usher in the festival.
SJK (C) Moh Ghee (Pusat) Parent Teacher Association president Linda Ooi said the school would change the way they celebrate the festival by conducting it on virtual platform this year.
Prior to this, she said the school used to organise a series of activities physically yearly.
“However, we have no choice, but to celebrate it online via Facebook live celebration on Sept 19.
“On the day itself, we have lined up plenty of activities such as students’ performances, sign language performance and also poetry recital.
“On top of that, we will be having a parent-child lantern making competition and an award will be given to the best lantern making as well.
“All these activities will help to strengthen the parents-children relationship,” she said.
Penang Chinese Town Hall (PCTH) Culture and Education Sub-committee head Lim Teh Keat said they were still considering whether to shift the activities to online platform.
“We have been organising the celebration every year, but we are now thinking of coming out with a virtual celebration.
“We will see how it goes and our traditional culture needs to be maintained and celebrated as it is,” he said.
Lay Hock Peng, who is the Kepala Batas Sports and Tiong Hua Cultural Association founder, said he has been giving away some of the mooncakes to the community as the festival nears.
“We will be continuing doing so as we want to show love and care to the people during this pandemic.
“On top of that, we are still yet to decide whether to organise lantern festival using virtual platform or otherwise. We will be looking into it in a few days’ time.
“This year’s festival will be a low-key affair due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“However, the occasion of eating mooncakes must still be carried on. This is our annual Chinese tradition,” he added.
Meanwhile, a multinational company engineer, Ooi Teik Seng, 43, said he would be taking his eight-year-old child to buy a lantern soon.
“It’s an important celebration in our Chinese calendar and I will be celebrating it at home.
“We will be eating mooncakes and have tea on the day itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state government, through the state Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE), is also supportive of a few of the online activities for the festival amid the pandemic.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting and courtesy of interviewees