September 10 - the 15th day of the 8th Moon - is a pecial day in Hong Kong and among Chinese families all over the world.The exuberant "Chung Chow", or Mid-Autumn Festival, like the western Harvest Festival, is one of the major festivals of the Chinese calendar and is a vivid reminder of the rich Chines heritage which still forms an important part of today's Hong Kong.
The major feature of the festival is moon-watching, a practice which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) when Emperor Hsuang and his beloved concubine Yang Yu-huan found much pleasure from contemplation of the moon in all its phases.
Two unique items - lanterns and mooncakes - traditionally associated with this festival, make the occasion all the more fascinating. They are to commemorate an uprising against the Mongols in the 14th Century when the call "revolt on the night of full moon" was written on pieces of paper embedded in cakes which were then smuggled to compatriots. Brightly lit lanterns were hung from windows and doorways to signal the revolt.
Nowadays, mooncakes are filled with a deliciously sweet mixture of ground lotus, sesame seeds and, very often, the yolk of a duck egg, which looks just like a full moon when the cake is cut in half.
On this day people will travel to high or exposed vantage points to obtain an unobstructed view of the moon. Lanterns of all kinds of shapes and sizes, specially made for sale during the festival, are given to children, who place tiny lighted candles inside and carry them, glowing in the night through the streets and parks of Hong Kong.
On September 10, as part of Hong Kong's celebration for the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Lantern Carnival will be staged in The Landmark and the Chater Garden. A spectaculare lantern parade will be led by traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances.
Laternen - Lanterns *** weitere Beispiele *** Löwen- und Drachentanz im Kaufhaus "The Landmark"