Members of the Clementi Ward and Choa Chu Kang Ward discovered they had so much more fun when they came together to organize the mid-autumn festival last weekend. Each ward contributed its best talent and everyone had a wonderful time, from the primary children carrying their paper lanterns around the field to the seniors trying to peel pomelos in less than one minute.
Learning about the mid-autumn festival and moon cakes
The members, local and expatriate, learned about the variety of moon cakes and how moon worshipping began in ancient China. They also learned about the legend of Hou Yi, the archer who shot down nine suns from the sky to save the earth from being scorched, and his wife Chang Er who became an immortal after drinking an elixir.
Some members tried their hand at making moon cakes with fillings and pastry already prepared by Sister Jessie Tan and Su Min. All they needed to do was to put the filling and the pastry together into a mould, and presto, they got a ready-to-eat moon cake.
Talents on show
What better times to sing songs about the moon than at the mid-autumn festival. To the delight of the audience, Sister Isabelle Woo of Clementi Ward sang the ever popular 'The Moon Represents My Heart' and 'Moonlight in the City' karaoke style, with reinforcement from her cousin-in-law Nat Woo.
Sister Dalicia Chan of Choa Chu Kang performed a taiji dance called 'Yun Bo Shan' and won the admiration of the audience for her skill and agility.
Riddles and lanterns
What can be more traditional in celebrating the mid-autumn festival than having fun with riddles and learning Chinese calligraphy at the same time? Bro. Tong Yen Wei and wife Chai Yan demonstrated how to use the Chinese brush, and invited members to try their hand at writing their names in Chinese. Sister Irene Lee entertained the primary children by showing them how to make paper lanterns out of hong bao (red pack) envelopes that they could take home as decoration.
Pomelo fun
The real fun of the mid-autumn festival was in the pomelo competition. Part 1 of the competition required the contestants to peel their pomelo as fast as they could, given a knife that was not too sharp. Part 2 was a test of creativity. Each team was to create something interesting out of the pomelo peel. And the winning creation of a sailing ship was by three primary kids, Emma Lew, Isabella Hansen and Ethan Lew.
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Best part of the festival
Perhaps the best part of the mid-autumn festival was the opportunity for the members to work together, decorating the chapels with lanterns, setting up the tables and chairs, organizing the activities, and of course the clean up.
Bishop Patrick Tan of the Clementi Ward said, “Mid-Autumn is a time for reunion of families and friends. It is so good to see the whole ward coming together to organize the activity so that the members could have fun and fellowshipping. Thanks to Connie and William Woo, and all the others who were involved for their efforts in putting such an excellent program together. Everyone had so much fun. Such bonding activities help us to strengthen our relationship and love for one another.”
