JUST TO SHARE (Lau Tai Onn): Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations At Two Places

This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival fell on Wednesday, 04/10/2017. Nevertheless celebration of this festival still went on towards the end of this week.

In the evening on Friday, 06/10/2017, I attended the Festival Celebration (蕉赖11哩华团联耀中秋节暨各源流文化千人提灯游行晚会) at the community hall cum basketball court, Batu 11 Cheras organized by Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung or JKKK (村委会) and co-organized by many local associations including Cheras Hokkien Association of which my wife Soh Ai is a committee member and was involved in helping out. The usual Friday’s “pasar malam” (night market) stalls were moved to and operated at the venue of celebration. There was also free supply of moon-cakes and bottles of mineral water.

The event was attended by both the Member of Parliament of Seri Kembangan as well as the State Assemblyman of Balakong. The turnout was humongous. The lantern procession followed by floats started at about 8.00pm. I noticed there were 2 nos. of drones flying in the air monitoring the situation as well as taking photos. Before the procession return to the hall and the program began, I left at about 8.30pm as I felt sleepy, while Soh Ai continued to be on duty.

I returned home at 9.00pm and watched TV till 10.00pm before adjourning to bed. At about 11.00pm, Soh Ai phoned home and informed that she had struck a lucky draw prize of a chair and footstool set requiring me to carry home with our Avanza MPV. So I went out with my youngest son Wai Kei who had just returned home from his college activity to pick up the lucky draw prize.

Pasar Malam next to the basketball court

The hall was still empty of people

Free moon-cakes to eat

Drone was hovering over the crowd

The lucky draw prize of chair and footstool set won by Soh Ai

In the evening on Saturday, 07/10/2017, Soh Ai and I attended another Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration “Karnival Pesta Tanglung Bandar Mahkota Cheras (皇冠城中秋嘉年华) at the lake garden of Bandar Mahkota Cheras organized by the Residents’ Association. Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) participated in holding “The Seeds of Hope” exhibition and organizing activities of recycling old clothes to make handy bags.

It is understood that the "Seeds of Hope" exhibition is a joint initiative of Soka Gakkai International and the Earth Charter International. It stresses our interconnectedness with the rest of the community of life and the need to broaden our sphere of compassion and concern. It encourages viewers to overcome feelings of powerlessness and highlights the fact that a single individual can initiate positive change. It also introduces the positive vision for sustainable living expressed in the Earth Charter.

Many SGM members wearing the purple T-shirts (the uniform of “Run for Peace 2015”) could be seen mingling among the crowd and diligently introducing and explaining the above noble ideas.

We left for home at about 9.00pm after watching a few song performances and listening to two speeches delivered by Kajang town councilors on stage.