On September 6, under a brilliant full moon, 24 children and their parents from the J-Life community centre in Sham Shui Po gathered for a special family outing to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The fun began with afternoon tea at Dragon Centre before everyone climbed onto a coach for the short ride to the Jao Tsung-i Academy near Mei Foo. This lovely historical complex on a hillside was the perfect location for some serious moon-gazing, but first there was much more fun to be had.
Inside, a wide range of intriguing activities, all focused on the moon, had been prepared. There were songs in several languages, with hand instruments for the kids to play, and cartoon videos from different cultures. Moms and kids drew faces on paper moons, recited a famous Chinese moon poem together, listened to moon-themed stories and then made crafts based on the stories. They even learned how to make lanterns out of pomelo skins. Then out came an abundance of traditional festival snacks, including peanuts, star fruit, round pears, round cookies and, of course, mooncakes. At last it was time to head out into the gardens to view the moon.
By 9.30pm, arms filled with pomelos and buns and paper lanterns, everyone clambered back onto the bus for home, worn out and sleepy but filled with visions of happy moons dancing through their imaginations.
Our heart-felt thanks go out to the organizer, Reading in Growing, and the wonderful people at the Jao Tsung-i Academy for all their hard work and patience in making this an unforgettable festival celebration for these families. Thank you!!
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