Singapore Travel » Singapore Information » The Moon–Cake Lantern Festival |
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The Moon–Cake Lantern Festival
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The Moon-Cake Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrating prosperity and togetherness and it dates back to the ancient Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The Moon-Cake Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar New Year calendar.
The Moon-Cake Lantern Festival is celebrated in the Chinese Gardens in Singapore every year and the extra-ordinary spectacle of the numerous colorful floating lanterns in the lake of the Garden is simply a feast to the eyes.
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Tourists arrive in droves to soak in the beauty of the spectacular Moon-Cake Lantern Festival at the Chinese Gardens and dig into the delicious moon-cakes which come in many varieties.
In 2009 the Moon-Cake Lantern Festival falls on the 3rd of October
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Origin of the Moon-Cake Lantern Festival
The festival dates back to the ancient Xia and Shang Dynasty of China. The ancient Chinese people celebrated the festival to worship the full-moon. The custom of making and gifting round-shaped moon-cakes started during the reign of the Song dynasty. The people celebrated the festival at night enjoying the view of the full-moon.
Celebration of the Moon-Cake Lantern Festival in Singapore
The inaugural ceremony at the Chinatown features the famous lantern parade, dragon and lion dances, and people walking over stilts, splendid fire-works, and cultural dances.
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Brilliant lanterns and lights lit up the Singapore River Road. Along the banks of the famous river the carnival goes on in full swing. Sago Lane offers entertainments to the visiting tourists like acrobatic performances and opera shows along with a choice of delectable foods and gift-items.
The Orchard road is the place where you get to relish the sumptuous moon-cakes. Besides the conventional red-bean paste, new and innovative varieties including the lotus-paste, yam, melon-seeds and duck-eggs in preserved form are also handed out to the crowds.
? Pastries and citrus fruits like pommels are also hugely available during this festive season. There is a popular ritual to offer 5 dishes of round-shaped fruits like peaches, orange, apple etc which symbolically stand for the moon and family togetherness as well.
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| Disclaimer: The data provided here is based on the facts and research using available sources. As the data is made available on "as is" basis and subject to change anytime. This website shall not be liable for any discrepancy found in the data on our site and actual figures. |
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