Heritage | Mid-Autumn Festival tradition kept alive

Once more, the Mid-Autumn Festival traditions have been kept alive at the Albergue SCM at S. Lazaro district. As per tradition, the venue was filled with light from lanterns of all shapes and colors on Sunday evening as celebrations kicked off  to the theme of “Celebration of the Moon – Mid-autumn Festival.”
Deeply rooted among various communities within Macau, it is easy to see a mix of people from different backgrounds and cultures celebrating this festival.
The idea is “to keep this tradition alive and celebrate the moon in a joyful way,” said Mr Carlos Marreiros, architect and general director of Albergue SCM, yesterday at the event opening.
According to Chinese mythology, this festival’s origins were as a harvest festival, during which people would celebrate the completion of the harvest tasks by worshipping the mountain gods. Between the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Mid-Autumn festival gained popularity, becoming one of today’s most important and traditional celebrations, which involves children as a central part of the festivities.
Alongside the “less traditional” lanterns hanging over the heads of the many partygoers at Albergue SCM, there was a distribution of traditional rabbit lanterns to children who lined up patiently to receive them. Food and traditional mooncakes were shared among people from all ages, with smiles seen on many faces. Traditional Chinese music and calligraphy were also among the activities at Albergue SCM. RM