lanterns and mooncakes
A tale of two Chinese
festivals of lights and colours
"The Chinese people have never
demanded a clear separation of the worlds of myth and reality - indeed, they
are so closely bound up that it is hard to say where one begins and the other
An Introduction to Oriental Mythology, Clio Whittaker et al
"The moon, along with fine
wine and beautiful women, is a favourite topic for the Chinese
Since ancient times, Man
has looked up towards the night sky and wondered about the stars and the
moon. Indeed, the moon has, over time, wielded her influenced on a gamut
of artists, from poets (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, To The
Moon, Moon's Ending); songwriters (Asmara Datang Bersama Sang
Bulan, Fly Me to the Moon), authors (The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress) and film-makers (Moonstruck, La Luna). On the
other hand, the moon has also been blamed for horrors like moon madness,
lycanthrophy or the slicing off of human ears.
Incidentally, how many
of us will instantly recall that our very own national anthem,
Negaraku, is based on a tune called Trang Bulan?
Different cultures ascribed different and fascinating properties
to the moon. It all depended on what they claimed they could see. The Germans
believed the man on the moon was one who offended God by working on the Sabbath
and was swept up to eternal imprisonment on the moon. And then there are
certain Christians who believed that the man on the moon was none other than
Judas Iscariot, punished for his treachery! The Masai of Kenya, claimed that
the moon was actually a woman's face with swollen lips and a missing eye
- injuries inflicted in a quarrel by her husband the sun. The Chinese claim
that the moon was barren save for a rabbit pounding the elixir of immortality
under a cassia tree.
The moon plays a fascinating
role in two major Chinese festivals the 15th day of the first lunar
month of the Chinese calendar (also known as the Chinese Lantern Festival)
and the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (also known as the Mooncake Festival).
The latter festival, which some non-Chinese locals refer to as pesta
tanglung, is celebrated in grand style by all Malaysians with lantern
competitions, mooncake making demonstrations and street processions.
This time honoured festival
takes place on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. Known
as Chap Goh Meh among Malaysians (particularly among Penangites), the festivities
takes place under a full moon, and marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities.
There are many legends
about the origin of the Lantern Festival, and one of them credits the lantern
with saving an entire village from being burnt to the ground by a vengeful
god. Upon the advice of a kindly celestial being, the village folk lit lanterns
throughout the village so that from up in heaven, it looked as if the entire
village below was in flames! The Jade Emperor was fooled and the village
was spared from a fiery end. From that day on, so the legend goes, Chinese
people celebrate the anniversary of their deliverance by carrying lanterns
of different shapes and colors through the streets on the first full moon
of the year.
John L. Nevius, writing in China
and the Chinese, attempted to describe the jocund air of the lantern
festival during his visit to China in the 19th century: "A great number of
shops and variety of lanterns are exposed for sale in the shops. They are
made with a light frame of bamboo covered with transparent paper, and represent
birds and animals, and other objects of interest. Some of them are made to
run on wheels. Others are so contrived that the motion of the air produced
by the burning of the candle sets wheels and machinery at work, and makes
the object appear like a thing of life. A great deal of ingenuity is manifested
in these toys which please the old as well as the young. An unusual number
of people are seen in the streets, and they retire to their homes at a late
Among many Chinese, the
lantern festival is also fondly remembered for the tang yuan (or tong
yuen in Cantonese). In the popular local version, tang yuan consists
of glutinous rice balls coloured brightly and poached in a sweet ginger flavoured
syrup - a truly scrumptious experience! Traditionally, tong yuan sometimes
contains a filling of sesame, peanuts, vegetable, or meat, cooked in red-bean
or other kinds of soup. Whether traditional or localized, sweet or savoury,
the round shape of the tang yuan ball symbolizes wholeness and unity.
The Mid-Autumn or Mooncake
Festival falls on the 15th day of the Eight Lunar Month in the Chinese calendar.
Traditionally, it is celebrated to signify the end of the harvest season.
Because lanterns are used during the festivities, it is also referred to
as the lantern festival in some parts.
Picture right courtesy from Shangri-La Hotel
The mooncake festival is
quite a major one in Malaysia. Here, the Chinese celebrate the festival with
family gatherings, prayers to deities and ancestors, serving of mooncakes
and the lighting of lanterns. Gifts of mooncakes, in different varieties,
are presented to family and friends. To foster closer ties with the Chinese,
the Malaysian Ministry of Culture and Tourism often celebrates the festival
on a grand scale with events taking place in several states, plus numerous
lantern competitions and processions.
During this time, shops
in Penang will be busy assembling lanterns out of coloured cellophane paper
(mostly red and yellow, for these are auspicious colours), wire and paint.
The lanterns assume various shapes that children will love, from cartoon
heroes du jour to a carnival of animals. Hung outside shops by the
score, they serve the same purpose as colourful barber poles, beckoning all
to come, see and buy.
I have fond memories of the Mooncake
festival when I was growing up in Ipoh. Back then, I never knew what festival
it was or when exactly lanterns were available. All I knew was that once
every year, I would look forward to the day when my pigtailed amah cheh would
bring me (picture right) and my two sisters to the old fashioned sundry shops
in the central market in Jalan Laxamana. There, amidst excited chattering
and badgering the poor amah, we would choose our lanterns. I think my favourite
design was the space rocket, while my sisters preferred 'gentler' ones of
animals like rabbits, cockerels and fishes. The purchase would, of course,
not be complete without a box of short candles. So with lanterns and candles
in hand, we eagerly awaited nightfall so we could wander around the garden
with our lit lanterns like little treasure hunters. It was fun!
During the festival, wealthy
friends of the family would also, without fail, present my mother with a
large octagonal hanging lantern. These were really grand and opulent things!
The hanging lanterns were usually made of red cellophane paper wrapped tightly
around a hexagonal bamboo frame and decorated with brightly coloured ribbons,
trimmings and tassels on the outside. On the inside, auspicious figures from
Chinese mythology, made from paper, are stuck to the spokes of a wheel-like
contraption. This wheel was balanced on a pointed tip resting on a metal
thrust pad. When the candles are lit, the heat from the flame would waft
through the wheel and cause it to spin round and round on an axis much like
a carousel. The figures cast moving shadows on the wall as they spun! It
was really very lovely to look at, and it was with much sadness when the
festival came to an end, and the lantern was taken down and burnt.
and legends behind the mooncake festival
There are several stories
to explain the mooncake festival:
From a religious standpoint,
the mooncake festival is a time when offerings of prayer, mooncakes, roasted
meat, yam, kuaci (water melon seeds) and Chinese tea are made to deities
and ancestors. The air is suffused with the scent of burning joss-sticks
A Chinese mythological
legend tells us of a certain woman called Chang E who, in her quest for
immortality, drank her husband's share of a rare and precious elixir. The
act transformed her into an immortal and she found herself floating towards
heaven. Fearing that she would be reprimanded by the gods for her selfish
misdeed, she decided to make an unscheduled stop on the moon. Upon arrival,
she found the place to be desolate except for a hare under a cassia tree.
Her powers had abandoned her and she was doomed to keep her lonely vigil
till the end of time. And since then, she has been fondly associated with
the mooncake festival, and some mooncake boxes even feature a drawing of
Chang E's ascension to the moon.
The mooncake has also earned
a place in Chinese history for playing a key role in overthrowing the Mongols
during the Soong dynasty. Secret messages hidden in mooncakes started a rebellion
which eventually led to the fall of the Mongolians!
Raja Abdul Razak