Mid-autumn festival in Vietnam

From the beginning of autumn, kids in Bao Dap Village, Nam Truc village of Nam Dinh Province have been busy with star shaped lanterns. They make them not only for fun. For decades this rural area has been among suppliers of Mid-Autumn lanterns nationwide. It is called as simply as the village of star shaped lanterns. 

One month before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole village was full of colors: reds, green and yellow. All yards and garden corners are twinkled by lanterns. Although the new school years just started, kids still spend spare time helping their parents to make lanterns for orders from everywhere. Smaller kids take simple jobs while order kids do more complicated jobs. Their Mid-autumn festivals are always full of lantern’s red and blue colors. Despite being stained by colors and glue, kids are enjoyable completing with each other to make as many lanterns as possible.

Kids make lantern parade around the village around every night. They are very excited about their handmade lanterns. In such occasions, all villageers are very busy. Lanterns are delivered to all over the corners of the country. Kids are eagerly waiting for lanterns their parents buy them.

Huyen was born in a small village in the midland area. This area is described in textbooks as followed: Palm forest and tea hills are green. The sun is blazing down Lo River, where people sing traditional songs. Ferry carries all the songs and emotions.

There are 5-7 children at the same age in the village. They gather and play folk games every evening after school. In the rural area, while parents are busy making ends meet kids have to take care of each other. They are very innocent. In order to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival performance, Huyen has practiced singing for the whole week. In this Northern midland area, people lead a rustic life.

As for children in the countryside, they are eager to welcome Mid-Autumn Festival. One month before the festival, they discuss about the toys that they will ask for the games they will play and songs they will sing. Huyen’s mother works aboard. So she lives with her dad and grandmother. As she loves singing and dancing, she always delivers performances at festivals. Her dad plays musical instruments and she sings. It seems that Mid-Autumn festival is coming closer as if it was celebrated in her house’s yard.

In late afternoon, children gather together and practice for the Mid-Autumn Festival performance. Older kids teach younger ones, without complex practices as children in big cities do, they enjoy their songs so much. They teach each other to sing simple but meaningful songs such as a grain is merely a grain without growing from ground to earn green rice pasture, promises are merely words that a parrot can speak if people do not keep promises. Children in this rural area grow up in such natural and simple way.

In Hanoi, Mid-Autumn Festival seems to arrive earlier. Today, Mai and Ngoc go to Hang Ma street which is full of colors whenever Mid-Autumn Festival comes. The street is crowded with people and sparkled by colorful toys. Though modern toys have become popular in recent years, traditional toys are still widely on sale, i.e. from paper masks depicting cute pigs, face of earth god, lion heads spinning tops to fish shaped, star-shaped lanterns, etc.

Mid-Autumn Festival is the festival for children. It is also the time for adults to recall their childhood memories. Boisterous sound of drums recalls childhood memories which are full of emotion. We still find toy figurines in crowded and colorful streets. Toy figurines made from colorful glutinous rice deeply feature traditional beauty. Mid-Autumn Festival is also the time for family reunion, strengthening the connection among family members.

Today is 15th; Mai has to finish homework early. As soon as it is getting dark, children eagerly gather to prepare for the Mid-Autumn festival. Mid-Autumn festival in rural villages is simply celebrated. However, it is warm and happy. Mid-Autumn festival is the festival of little angels. The moon light covers a wonderful world in the eyes of the children.

Mid-Autumn festival is the leisure time for farmers. It is the time when the rice has grown up, farmers wait for ripen seeds, celebrate the full moon and harvest. Children look at the moon dreaming of mythical story about a boy and the banyan tree. Adults look at the moon hoping for good signs for the next crop.

Based on experience of observing nature’s repetition, people in the past forecasted conditions via moonlight in Mid-Autumn night. Moon halo means dry weather while moon corona implies rainy weather or you should look at Mid Autumn moon in August to harvest rice in May. Whether there is good or bad sign, the moon is always accompanied with them all year round. The ability to maintain harmony with heaven and earth is cultural motivation for Vietnamese people to discover elegant habits during the four seasons.

From urban to rural area, children and adults nationwide enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival. Within the movement of nature’s cycle, each traditional occasion inspires different feelings. And the Mid-Autumn Festival is always innocent and pure recalling our childhood.

Source: VTC10 - NETVIET