Mooncake Festival: Lantern Play

Mooncake Festival: Lantern Play

These days, high-tech lanterns that come with dazzling lights, special sound effects and other mind-blowing enhancements are the de facto lanterns for kids.

In my childhood days, I used to play with candles, fire and lanterns made of flimsy paper and sticks. The initial set up required moments of careful preparation. We had to unfold lanterns, set them up in the right configuration before inserting candles on their place holders.

The best part was to start a fire using matchsticks. In the outdoors, a slight breeze could easily extinguish the flame. One wrong tilt and the precious lantern would go up in flames.

At the customary procession round the neighbourhood, more challenges stood in our way. A rough nudge by a friendly neighbour and the lantern would crumble in a heap of fire. If you shifted your wrist at the wrong pace, the tilt would also threaten the continued existence of your lantern. The occasional drip of hot wax onto bare feet exposed by slippers was also a hazard that had to be expected.

So it was with much enthusiasm that I brought my youngest kid out for a lantern parade during this mooncake festival. Besides enjoying the taste of green tea with mooncakes, we spent some time on lantern play.

Photograph of A Lantern

Did you spend time with your family during the mooncake festival for some lantern play?

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Lantern Festival: Where To Play In Singapore

Lantern Festival: Where To Play In Singapore

The Lantern Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival, will be upon us soon and I am wondering where to bring the kids to play in Singapore. For families with children who like lanterns to play, this is the time of the year to dig out old dusty lantern (or lanterns, depending on how many kids you have), if these lantern or lanterns weren’t destroyed during earlier play by candle fire.

Photo: Lantern For Lantern Festival

I have also wondered why we call it the Mid-Autumn Festival, other than for cultural reasons. If we do not follow the Lunar calendar, how can we tell by looking at our weather that Autumn is approaching and that it is time to get a lantern for each kid to play in Singapore?

Unlike temperate countries, Singapore does not have four distinct seasons. Everyday feels like it is getting hotter, except when occasional showers keep temperatures cool. Our four ‘seasons’ to substitute for Spring, Autumn, Winter and Summer that we experience in Singapore, according to my colleague, are in March, June, September and December when they coincide with the school holidays.

This year’s Lantern Festival falls on a Sunday, the 14th of September 2008. I will be thinking of where to play in Singapore this Lantern Festival. We will be making preparations where we can play in an open area that is dark enough to let lantern shine lead the way. No doubt those with kids who like to play with a lantern or two will also ponder on where to play this Lantern Festival. Others who prefer to play without any lantern can also celebrate the Lantern Festival with mooncake feasting, tea consumption and gatherings with family or friends.

New technology has seen the rise of electronic lanterns with musical light bulbs that mimic the traditional lanterns made of cellophane and wires, thereby reducing risk of mishaps with fire and lanterns turned to ash. I still prefer the traditional old-fashioned lanterns. Somehow, the idea of toying with fire and candlesticks appears more thrilling and seductive. Just remember to be safe and not to burn public property or the house down.

Do you have a favourite place on where to play with lanterns this Lantern Festival?

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