My house mates and I had actually celebrated this festival one week before its actual date, which is like on the 17th September. We thought playing lanterns and candles together would be fun and since mooncake festival falls on our sem break, we decided to celebrate it earlier. Here's the chronology of our mooncake festival celebration:
Guat Shan holding both mine and her lanterns with our 'heaven gate' in the background.It all started a week or two before the we (me, Guat Shan, Ah Wei and Leon. Sito did not join the fun because she was asleep after 2 days and nights of staying up) celebrated this festival. Guat Shan, being a good planner that she was, planned to celebrate it after our Computer Studies paper (that's right, it's on our exam week!). The following week, we bought 8 packets of candles and a packet of 5 lanterns from the pasar malam. On the following Monday, after dinner, we started our simple celebration by lighting candles on our house gate and our lanterns. We then felt it's boring to just 'play' with lantern in our own house car porch. So, we walked to the lake.
Just in case some drivers didn't notice the 'Berhenti' sign.
Just in case some drivers didn't notice the 'Berhenti' sign.On our way to the lake, we came across a 'Berhenti' sign and since we have extra candles for the lanterns, Leon took one and lit it on the signboard but he removed it after that. There were car drivers looking at us as we walk and there were also motorcyclist shouting 'Main tanglung!' on our way to the lake. As we walked pass West Lake Homes, which is the 'hostel' for students, we met some of our lecture and tutorial mates, which followed us to the lake as well.
Kenji lighting the little boat.
At the lake, Leon started making boats from candle boxes. They were simple boats, just a candle box and a candle on it but as simple as it sounded,the process of putting them to work wasn't easy. The first boat Leon made was a failure since the boat went upside down and sunk. The second and third boat was successful but when he threw them into the lake, the fire went off. So, our daredevil Kenji used a long stick we used to hold our lanterns, stick a candle on one end and tried to lit the candles on the boats. It was truly a dangerous stunt! His whole body practically went through the spaces in between the pillars and was so close to falling into the lake. Even Leon had to pull his other free hand to prevent him from falling off the arch. But their effort wasn't wasted. The boats looked like fireflies on the dark surface of the lake. It was beautiful! We waited for the candle to burn itself so that when it touches the box, it would burn the box as well so that the box wouldn't be floating on the water and looked as if we purposely pollute it. To our horror, the fire went off as soon as it touches the box and the boxes remained floating on the water! However, we quickly dismiss that, acted as if the boxes were burnt and proceed with our next activity.
At the lake, Leon started making boats from candle boxes. They were simple boats, just a candle box and a candle on it but as simple as it sounded,the process of putting them to work wasn't easy. The first boat Leon made was a failure since the boat went upside down and sunk. The second and third boat was successful but when he threw them into the lake, the fire went off. So, our daredevil Kenji used a long stick we used to hold our lanterns, stick a candle on one end and tried to lit the candles on the boats. It was truly a dangerous stunt! His whole body practically went through the spaces in between the pillars and was so close to falling into the lake. Even Leon had to pull his other free hand to prevent him from falling off the arch. But their effort wasn't wasted. The boats looked like fireflies on the dark surface of the lake. It was beautiful! We waited for the candle to burn itself so that when it touches the box, it would burn the box as well so that the box wouldn't be floating on the water and looked as if we purposely pollute it. To our horror, the fire went off as soon as it touches the box and the boxes remained floating on the water! However, we quickly dismiss that, acted as if the boxes were burnt and proceed with our next activity.
The process of making a floating lantern.
After that, we attempted to make a floating lantern (called 'tong ming ten' in Mandrin, if I'm not wrong). We used Leon's lantern since it was the biggest. We have 2 Physics students there to tell us how the lantern actually work by using the hot aired balloon concept and we have an ex-'reka cipta' student to construct the lantern. How we did it was a long process and do not have to be explained here and it failed after all. Anyway, while waiting patiently for the lantern to float, Ah Wei and I fought (playfully, that is) using the sticks we used to hold our lanterns as swords. Guat Shan recorded silly stuff like 'Kampar dog' (as if dogs in Kampar has 5 legs and 2 tails!), commentated the sword fighting, how Kenji pose and how Leon tried to seal the holes on the lanterns that prevent it from levitating. In the end, the lantern did not float but was burnt in stead.
After that, we attempted to make a floating lantern (called 'tong ming ten' in Mandrin, if I'm not wrong). We used Leon's lantern since it was the biggest. We have 2 Physics students there to tell us how the lantern actually work by using the hot aired balloon concept and we have an ex-'reka cipta' student to construct the lantern. How we did it was a long process and do not have to be explained here and it failed after all. Anyway, while waiting patiently for the lantern to float, Ah Wei and I fought (playfully, that is) using the sticks we used to hold our lanterns as swords. Guat Shan recorded silly stuff like 'Kampar dog' (as if dogs in Kampar has 5 legs and 2 tails!), commentated the sword fighting, how Kenji pose and how Leon tried to seal the holes on the lanterns that prevent it from levitating. In the end, the lantern did not float but was burnt in stead.
Candles on a string.
Not long after that, Sito came and fetch all the 4 of us to mamak. Well, as usual, we hung out there for about an hour and went back home. This time, it was Sito's turn to play with candles since she missed them earlier that day. Leon and I accompanied her but we did not went to the lake and just played with candles in our car porch in stead. Sito lit the candles on the gate, I lit candles on a string (and actually burnt it) and Leon made some explosive jet engine from paper and gas. We continued playing for like an hour and called it a day after that. It was, no doubt, a fun day. We also made a conclusion that people who celebrated the pre-mooncake festival were all Science stream students and we'll be sitting for our Economics paper 2 days after that day. Cool, huh?
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