A classic favourite: Customers posing with the colourful handmade lanterns hung from the ceiling of Tai Tong Restaurant in George Town. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: That craze for old-school lanterns is back again, but the days of playing with these quaint ornaments are numbered as apparently, only a few lantern makers are still operating.
A restaurant here that has been selling thousands of them every Mid-Autumn Festival over the past 10 years is having trouble keeping the tradition alive because many lantern makers have retired.
“We only know of two lantern makers left, one in Ipoh and another in Kuala Lumpur,” said Tai Tong Restaurant manager Cally Lee.
Made with translucent cellophane plastic wrapped around wire frames shaped into hundreds of different designs and then hand-painted, these lanterns are an annual sellout.
Lee said while they managed to get over 3,000 lanterns this year, it was a far cry from the numbers they used to get.
“Many lantern makers have retired. Some say they are too old to make them while others say they are now taking care of their grandchildren.
“It is a pity as there is a demand and people enjoy the festival.
“There used to be lantern makers in Penang but no more. This is why we have to source for them in other states,” she added.
Lee said every year, people from around the world visit her restaurant to buy a lantern to bring home.
Her lantern stock arrived about two weeks ago.
“Ours are the traditional handmade lanterns and can be lit with candles or a battery-powered light,” she said when met at the outlet here.
Lee said they had around 60 different designs this year, from dinosaurs to fish and rabbits, among others.
“We have various sizes, priced from RM14 for the smallest to RM20 and RM35 for medium and large lanterns.
“We do have special ones with hand-painted scenes and Chinese calligraphy which cost RM40 and RM48, depending on the shape and quality,” she said.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival in Malaysia, falls on Sept 17.
Dating back to ancient China, it was originally a harvest festival held around the autumn equinox.
