Chinese Lantern Festival

Yesterday marked the end of the Mid-Autumn Autumn Festival (also known as the Chinese Lantern Festival or the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival) here in Singapore. Actually, not just here in Singapore, but everywhere in Asia. Next to the Chinese New Year, this is the biggest holiday in the Asian Calendar.

Above is a picture of a mooncake (which was "borrowed" from taipeitravel.net because I couldn't afford to buy one of my own to take a picture of because they run in the upwards of $30 for one 4-inch cake). These dense lotus paste cakes are traditional gifts during Mid-Autumn Festival, as are Pomelos (those huge grapefruit-like fruits).

Not being Chinese, we weren't sure how to celebrate the holiday. So, we headed to Chinatown on Moon Day (Sept 25th this year) and figured that we'd celebrate in our own way by eating delicious Chinese dumplings at Zhou Handmade Noodle Hawker.

After a tasty dinner, we wandered around Chinatown. Prior to sunset, Chinatown was a little deserted and we thought perhaps we had the wrong day. Then, the sun set and the crowds came out, and we discovered why it is called the Lantern Festival.

During Lantern Festival, all the Chinese children are given small paper lanterns with a little candle inside to "play lantern". Caleb isn't Chinese but he got a lantern, too.

We enjoyed the beautiful lanterns handmade by a master Chinese lantern maker. There were about 12 large displays. Some of our favorites were the replica of the Taj Mahal and the 40-foot-long peacock with colorful plumage.

Josh and Caleb in front of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
(we didn't go in because we don't have a huge interest in Buddhism nor dentistry so there wasn't much of a draw)

Why Monkeys like the Chinese Ghost Festival

The 7th Lunar Month (in 2007, that falls during the month of August) is the Chinese Ghost Festival. There is a very good overview of the festival here, but basically, during this month, the doors of heaven and hell are opened and the spirits of the deceased are free to roam. The Chinese (mostly Buddhist) make offerings of fruit, cakes and other treats to appease the tormented. They also burn incense and hell money to pay homage to their roaming ancestors. We have seen these altars all month throughout the City.

Last night, someone must have made an offering just outside our building because as I was sitting here at the computer this morning, I saw several of the trees on the hill behind our flat shaking violently. No. . . it wasn't the ghosts shaking the trees. It was monkeys. A lot of monkeys. Though I am certain that Satan and his devilish horde have been enjoying all this ritualistic idolatry, the beneficiaries of last night's offering was none other than the mischievous little gang of miniature primates.

There were at least 10, maybe closer to 15 monkeys swinging from the trees, chasing each other with fistfuls of fruit and cake. Every now and then, when their supplies ran low (and when the coast was clear) they would scamper down to the sidewalk and snatch up a few more treasures.

The sight of these playful, mischievous monkeys made me laugh. However, despite the antics of the wild monkeys, this month is a somber month. It is a constant reminder of the spiritual slavery in which many Singaporeans live. Pray that the Chinese here in Singapore would encounter the only Ghost worthy of worship, the Holy Ghost!