Mid-Autumn Festival at Dong Cao Pagoda- Thanh Hoa

Another Mid-Autumn Festival comes to us, reminding us of much childhood memory as well as the famous Vietnamese folktale- Moon Man and Moon Lady. In this occasion, people especially those in peers enjoy the lantern party and dragon dance held all around the village. Well, every childhood must be connected to the Autumn Moon Festival.

Children are considered the future of our society and Buddhism, and hoped to have the living life of a new world. In order to make that hope eternally bright, everyone has a responsibility to seed and take care of children. With that meaningful idea, on 01st/Oct/2017 (08th/Dec in Lunar Calendar), at Dong Cao Pagoda in Nga Yen town, Nga Son District, Thanh Hoa City, a show named “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival” was held by the supported believers and Buddhists. Thousands of kid-participants enjoyed that meaningful show including many performances referring to Vietnamese and Buddhist tradition.

 

 In the opening of the show, on behalf of the organizer, children were instructed to read “Nho On- Gratitude” which was composed by senior abbot Thich Chan Tinh. Later on, children enjoyed the statue filling/colouring. After that, senior venerable Thich Tam Hung showed children how to chant Buddha’s name and then, all moved to have dinner.

 

 Finishing the dinner, each child was offered a lantern and went around the village with 2 persons dressed up as Moon Man and Moon Lady. They were supposed to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with traditional 5-pointed star shaped lanterns. Following were the show of music performance and Vietnamese traditional martial art performance done by some chosen children. Coming to the last part, people gathered in the hall and enjoyed moon cake.

 

 On 30th/Sept/2017 (11th/Aug in Lunar Calendar), it was one day before the â€œHappy Mid-Autumn Festival”, Junior Venerable Thich Tam Hung had led children from Teenager Buddhist Club of Dong Cao Pagoda to visit and give festival gifts to the orphans, who are in poor condition in vicinity. About 40 gifts, valued 100.000VND/ each (including: sweets, cookies, 5 notebooks and one lantern) were given away, wishing them a warm Mid-Autumn Festival with their beloved.

 

Following are photographs recorded: