Mooncake Festival at Sekolah Harapan Bangsa Modernhill

The Mooncake Festival, also known as “Moon Night,” “Autumn Festival,” “Mid-Autumn Festival,” “August Festival,” “August Gathering,” “Chasing the Moon Festival,” “Playing with the Moon Festival,” “Moon Worship Festival,” “Women's Celebration,” and “Festival for Gathering,” is a traditional cultural festival popular among various ethnic groups across the country. It coincidentally takes place in the middle of autumn, with the belief that the moon is at its largest, roundest, and brightest on this night. Since ancient times, communities have had a tradition of hosting celebrations and admiring the moon on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a day when daughters-in-law returning to their parents' homes must return to their husbands' homes to declare perfection and good fortune. This tradition originated in ancient times, gained popularity during the Han Dynasty, was finalized in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, and became widespread after the Song Dynasty. Along with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival, this festival is recognized as one of China's four major traditional festivals. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from moon worship on the Autumn Night in ancient times. Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has included folk customs such as moon worship, moon appreciation, eating mooncakes, lantern-watching, appreciating osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus.
On September 29, 2023, Sekolah Harapan Bangsa Modernhill Middle and High School held an event to celebrate the Mooncake Festival. The event took place at the Multipurpose Building 4 at 13:00, starting with an opening prayer, followed by a speech from the Head of Middle School, Mrs. Sisilia Juni. Then, the Mooncake Festival commenced. Each class prepared its own activities, and the students thoroughly enjoyed them. There were six programs in this event, including an introduction in three languages about the history of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Mandarin choir singing songs related to the Mid-Autumn Festival, band performances, singing of “Di Zi Gui,” Mooncake Festival Paper Cutting Art, and a Fashion Show and Costume Exhibition. The choir program featured a Mandarin song about the Mid-Autumn Festival performed by students from Intermediate 1 and students from Advanced and Intermediate grades in high school. The costumes in the fashion show were made from plastic, paper, or recycled fabric, designed and created by the students of grade 10, drawing inspiration from Chinese culture.
Throughout the event, all students actively participated in the class programs, creating a vibrant atmosphere. In the end, each class took a group photo, and each class's homeroom distributed mooncakes to their students. The event successfully concluded at 14:50.