I’m sure as kids, we all had fond memories of Mid-Autumn festival. When else can you legitimately play with fire and not get chided by your parents? Mid-Autumn festival is a joyous festival all in all but with all the existing technologies serving as distractions and alternatives, the once-loud festival is losing its appeal to the younger generations. We reminisce the 5 things we’ve done as kids during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
1) Strolling in the park… with your date
Well, it’s a romantic gesture to be strolling around the park at night while casually chatting; but even more romantic when you are strolling with a well-lit lantern in hand. Mid-autumn is the only time you can do so without feeling completely awkward or judged, and it is rather romantic to walk with your date and seeing young and cute kids playing mindlessly, and you thinking of a family of your own.
2) Setting your lantern on fire
Whether it is by accident or “accident”, we will not dispute it. Can you imagine seeing yourself holding onto a stick of burning lantern? I have to admit it, as a kid I always try to swerve and move so violently that the candle falls and set the entire lantern on fire. That’s fun.
3) Playing with candles
Lighting candles up in certain formation or just watching the candles burn till the end, the appeal of candles is always high on Mid-autumn festival. For me, it was a joy to combat the wind and other factors and to try to salvage the dying candles! Also, if you had never gotten scalded by hot wax, you’ve never had fun yet.
4) Drawing with sparkles
As kids we are often amazed by sparkles and those that let out a whistling sound ones, even better! Before Canon shutter speeds, we relied on our eyes to see the beauty of sparkles; drawing in the air and amusing ourselves.
5) Burning everything… and anything
Here comes one of the most annoying antic of Mid-autumn – burning everything and anything you can find! We used to burn anything: from empty candle boxes to newspapers to sticks/branches we can find and lanterns, it comes an informal ritual for us all as kids on Mid-autumn festival.
Photo credits: mckiki.wordpress.com http://www.strippedpixel.com samxntha.blogspot.com lurvethelife.blogspot.com
Writer: Leong Chee Sheng