On the 10th of September, we were told to come down and join in for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival organised by the Worker's Party for the area of Hougang. It happened to be that my cousin's boyfriend is part of this team, a part of the Worker's Party, and got each of us a ticket to join in the fun!! The location happened to be at the basketball court right underneath the void deck where my Grandma lives- an arm's length away, within walking distance. The weather isn't all that great that night, and so we were going to cycle there. My brother did not have a bike and so, my father had to give him a ride, and what a ride it was!! He got my father panting after some distance, for he stands at 69 kg, 2 kg heavier than my father, and a whooping 9 kg heavier than me!!
My brother simply adores eating, for that is his hobby!! Therefore it stands to reason that it does not take much to get him to how much he weighs now, and placed my super fit, athletic father is such a condition, panting away and even more so as the road went slopping uphill. I offered to switch with my brother, as I have a bike of my own and probably would not trouble my father as much with the 9 kg difference between my brother. This turns out to be true, for as soon as I switched places with my brother, my father never did pant as much as he did before, and the speed he was cycling at could almost match a car, for 10 seconds!!
Needless to say, we got there in no time, but could not avoid getting caught in the faint drizzle that was still going on at the same time. The drizzle did little to dampen our spirits as it has actually been years since we actually celebrated any festivals at all, and it would have gone on if not for my cousin's warm invitation. Over there, after we showed our tickets, we were warmly welcomed to join in for the celebration and got a goody bag each, with some biscuits and of course, a lantern and some candles, for without this two essential items, how can you actually celebrate a Mid-Autumn Festival?
Everyone got a different design for their lantern, although the designs were repeated in varying amounts as far as I can see. I got a lantern with the Ultraman design!! My brothers envied my luck, for they got one with a Chang-E design and the other, a Hamtaro design. My Grandma was there too, along with my uncle and my little cousin, Jovan!! He was elated to see us, for he does not have any siblings to accompany him, and being the closest in age to him, we were his companions to play with!!
There was a lot of activities on stage, primary school kids and elderly dancing, and entertainment from the hosts, the Deng Mi that is a must at every Mid-Autumn Festival, and finally, there will be a lucky draw as well!! Firstly, we all lighted up our lanterns, and then it's time to follow the crowd!! The MP of Hougang, with the garlands still hung around his neck even though the elections were over, lead everyone personally, for a round around the park, a line of lanterns snaking in the dark as part of the celebrations! After we finished walking, the host called for young kids to get up the stage for some fun activity, where the victor will be getting a specially made Pink Panther balloon!! The kids were all hyped up for it, and so, the challenge is to follow the host's actions that coordinated with the Pink Panther tune. Each round is harder than the last, so as to eliminate the number of children until the final victor is unveiled.
Meanwhile, we were busy playing with the extra candles, and the other kids were busying making a fire out of their combined lanterns, until someone went to pour water over the fire they were building up next to the parallel bars. When the activity ended, and the victor got her Pink Panther balloon, it was then that the lucky draw started! All the people surged forward to listen to the numbers that got picked, in hope of winning the television, or maybe the Dr. Dre earpiece, and to my uncle's surprise, he got a portable DVD player!! My cousin was jumping up and down with excitement, feeling very happy for his father, running around to tell all our relatives that was gathered there for the celebration. The celebration ended with songs that relates to the festival, and it is enjoyable indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment