Welcoming the Mid-Autumn Festival and Children’s Day

It’s that time of the year again when the whole of Singapore is filled with glowing lanterns and families exchange mooncakes as a gesture of thanksgiving.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also popularly known as Mooncake Festival, is an ancient festival celebrated at the day when the moon is at its brightest and fullest. It changes every year but in the Chineses lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn celebration is on the 15th day of the eighth month. For this year, this date falls on October 1, 2020.

So how did the celebration of the Mooncake Festival start?

Ancient Chinese history tells about the story of how the Earth suffered a terrible drought brought about by the planet’s 10 suns. The Emperor of Heaven requested a great archer called Hou Yi to shot down nine of the suns, in order to preserve life on Earth.

As a reward for killing the nine suns, the emperor gave the archer the elixir of immortality, which was attempted to be stolen. To prevent that from happening, Hou Yi’s wife Chang’e drank all of it and she ascended to the heavens and called the moon her home.

Today, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a symbol of giving thanks for the bountiful harvest following a hot summertime. Families gather and children make lanterns to commemorate this great day.

As we commemorate the Mooncake Festival tomorrow, let’s also don’t celebrate Children’s Day. Let’s spread joy and happiness with activities and events that the little kids will love.

So bring out the lanterns and mooncakes and celebrate the bounty with the kids and your family under the brightest moonshine.

Join us at www.thepeoplesinc.org and celebrate memorable festivities with us.