Burst of colours: Visitors taking photos at the mini wonderland at the Armenia Park in George Town, Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: It’s a riot of colour at a park at the heritage enclave in Armenian Street as people turned up at the “mini wonderland” to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Adults and children alike were seen in the traditional attire of the Han Chinese, known as hanfu, as they gathered for a lantern lighting ceremony on Sunday.
Among them were nine-year-old Fam Zhi Xin and her sister Zhi Qing, 11, who wore peach-coloured costumes.
Expressing her fondness for dressing up in such attire, Zhi Qing remarked that passers-by often wanted to capture their images.
“We have quite a collection of these costumes. I often persuade my parents to take us to Chinese-themed events,” she said.
Other visitors such as twin sisters Chang Zhi Shuang and Zhi Tang, aged 21, made a striking appearance in their white and blue hanfu outfits as they posed in front of a beautifully adorned arch.
More than 300 lanterns were lit around at the park in a ceremony which was attended by Tanjong MP-cum-Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying, assemblymen Teh Lai Heng (Komtar) and Wong Yuee Harng (Pengkalan Kota), and Penang Island City Council mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake or Lantern Festival, falls on Sept 29, which is the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar.
During the Shang Dynasty 3,500 years ago, this period was deemed the most auspicious for celebrating the harvest season and families would venture out to admire the moon.
There are several legends associated with the festival but the most popular is that of Chang Er, the wife of a cruel king.
To save her people from her husband’s tyrannical rule, she drank the elixir of immortality he had intended to drink himself, and ascended to the moon.
Teh said there will be a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration at the basketball court located next to the park this Sunday.
The event will take place from 5pm to 10pm.
“A Teochew song and dance performance has been scheduled. There will also be a traditional Chinese instrument ensemble to provide entertainment,” he said.
He said 12 booths would be set up, offering activities such as tea ceremony, face painting, handicraft, traditional carving and calligraphy.
“The festival represents both the bountiful harvest and joyous reunions, making it not just a period for families to come together, but also one of the cherished traditional celebrations embraced by the Chinese community,” he said in his opening speech.
Lim said the lanterns would be on display for the whole month from 7pm to midnight.
