Exclusive Featured : Moonlight Delights Fiesta @SCCC

           

The Mid-Autumn festival, also known as the Mooncake festival is widely celebrated in many Asia countries and it's a traditional celebration in Chinese culture. On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, families and friends gather around to enjoy delicious mooncakes with tea and admire the moon in its full glory!

Growing up in an Asian family, I value traditional cultures, customs, celebrations... and till this day, the mooncake festive is still my favourite Chinese festival of all time. It brings back many nostalgia moments and fond memories of my childhood.

We Love Festive Shopping! ;)

My kids love festive time! I told them about the mythical story of Chang-Er (Moon Goddess), HouYi, the Jade Rabbit and how mooncake festival is celebrated. 

 

I brought my kids along to shop for festive goodies that day and we bought some mooncakes, pastries, pomelo and a few cute lanterns.

I personally love the classic cellophane paper lanterns, the goldfish/carp designs are my favourite! My mom used to buy these lanterns for every mooncake festival. My family prefer traditional double salted eggs lotus mooncakes. Yummy! 😋

The round shaped mooncake symbolizes completeness, togetherness, good fortune and family reunion.

Moonlight Delights Fiesta :

Last weekend, I brought my kids to the Moonlight Delights fiesta at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) located at Shenton way, near Tanjong Pagar MRT.

            

It was a heart-warming and family friendly event for all ages. The view at the roof garden is so beautiful and aesthetic! We took some photos with the giant mooncakes and neon lights display. We brought along our own lanterns and bubbles. I felt like a wild child, running around, having so much fun with my kids! 😄

           

                     

        (*Mandy's Vlog : Views @ SCCC Roof Garden) 

    

The Evening Entertainment...

An outstanding hola hoop performance by circus artist street performer Bryan Wong from Brylights. The humorous and jovial guy kept the audience entertained with his skilful manoeuvre and stunts! Awesome! The crowds were cheering with excitement.

                     

There were game booths, stage performance, guessing the riddles, mooncake stalls and lantern walk.

Exploring The Milky Way...

My favourite part of the event is the star gazing. How romantic! 😊🤩 Let's count the stars...and to the moon & back! 

I'm into astronomy and I've always love star gazing and solar system exploration. The kids were so excited to watch the stars and moon with the telescope equipment provided. What an astonishing experience!

 

Thankfully, it didn't rain! We are blessed with a cooling and breezy weather that evening.

                  

                  

The queue was overwhelming, but the crowd control was efficient and it's worth the wait!😎

 

The event was well-organised, with amazing activities and entertainments for everyone. We had an enjoyable evening and I look forward to more fun family events in the near future!

 

A Demure Treat!

  

A lovely festive gift from one of my music students at the event. Very cutesy, very tasty and very demure! 😘 I love it! Thanks to JW for the private gathering and extended invitation.

 

The Mooncake Festive is a wonderful time for family bonding, outdoor activities and fun celebrations! Have a great time!

Sending my heartfelt wishes for a joyful Mooncake Festival full of bliss, happiness and sweet reunions! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all who celebrate! :)

           

*Remarks :

The Moonlight Delights Fiesta is proudly organised by Singapore Chinese Culture Centre (SCCC). Thank you for the amazing activities and great entertainments. By Author : Mandy Law (aka Mommywarrior77)

The DO's and DON'Ts During Chinese New Year🧧

Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, the Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the year. 

From spring cleaning, new year shopping, reunion dinner and giving red packets(Ang Pow) etc...These customs are passed down from generation to generation. 

During the 15-days of celebration, there are many taboos and superstitions that many Chinese households still practice these beliefs every Spring festival. The ultimate goal is to welcome abundance of blessings, good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

Personally, I don't follow everything strictly, but I respect traditions and I believe we should preserve cultural heritage. If it doesn't harm, I'd rather be safe than sorry! 😘

We have heard many traditional customs and beliefs from our parents and grandparents...

Here are the important DO's and DON'Ts during Chinese New Year :

❎ The DON'Ts :

No Housekeeping.

Do not sweep/mop the floor or wash the clothes on the first day of Lunar New Year, it is believed that this will bring bad luck, sweeping away the wealth and fortune from the family.

Avoid Black and White. 

It is inauspicious to wear black and white on the first day of Chinese New Year. The colors are often associated with sad and unhappy events, so it's best to avoid them. (Ah gong and Ah ma won't like it!) 

The Chinese believe red brings good luck, joy and success! Hence, red is the most preferred color during this festive, but if you don't like wearing red, any bright and colorful outfits are safe. 

No Crying Please...

This is the biggest taboo during Chinese New Year. Crying is forbidden! It brings sadness, problems and bad luck to the family. Avoid at all cost!

No Hospital/Doctor Visits.

If it is not an emergency, avoid going to the hospital or see a doctor during this period, as this could invite illnesses and cause poor health. 

Don't Break Anything.

It is unfortunate to break anything on the first day of new year. Broken pieces is a bad omen, so be extra careful. If something breaks, saying good auspicious words out loud may prevent misfortunes and bad luck. 

No Fighting.

Avoid disputes, arguments, gossips and foul language during this happy occasion. Watch your tongue and keep your cool! Give praises, speak kindly and use positive words to attract peace and harmony.

✅ The DO's :

Decorate The House.

Remember the ancient legend of 'Nian'? The Chinese welcome the new year by decorating their house with red lucky spring couplets, as many believe this will bring good fortune, blessings and ward off evil.

 

New Clothing.

It it recommended to wear new clothes and new shoes on the first day of Chinese New Year as it symbolizes a fresh start and a new beginning.

Pray / Go Temple.

Many Chinese families would visit the temple to pray and make offerings to the heavenly deities and to ancestors for a new year of blessings to the family.

Eating Together.

Chinese New Year is a time to feast and enjoy family bonding. Eating together enhance unity and family harmony. A family who eats together, stays together! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

 

Clear Your Debts.

All outstanding payments and bills should be cleared before the 1st day of Chinese New Year. This is to avoid bringing old debts into the new year or you'll be slogging another year to pay off more debts. 

Stay Up Late.

According to tradition, staying up late on the Eve of Chinese New Year is said to bring longevity for our parents, the later you stay, they longer they live. It is a good virtue of filial piety.

Visit Relatives and Friends. 

It's a good time to catch up with family and friends during the long holidays. Don't forget to exchange the mandarin oranges for each house visits (for good luck) and make sure you do not exceed 8 visitors per household. 

This Chinese New Year is a little different since there are more safety measures and restrictions to fight the pandemic. Though it does affect the festive mood and cause some inconvenience but it should not stop us from enjoying good times with family/friends and celebrating this joyful festival like we always do! 

Today is Li Chun.(立春 - 03 Feb 2021) It is the beginning of Spring in the Chinese calendar. 2021 is the year of the Ox and I hope it will be a fruitful year for all! May we remind ourselves to be strong and hardworking like the Ox, in achieving our goals and dreams! 

Happy Lunar NIU Year in advance and have a fabulous CNY celebration! Here's wishing everyone a prosperous and a 'HUAT' 2021! Cheers! 🐄🧧

What are some interesting CNY taboos and superstitions you know? Share with me and comment below.🙂