Fire Dragon Dance [REDUX]

Since my previous camera had nightmare’s about…well…night, I was unable to take many pictures during the Fire Dragon Dance of Mid-Autumn Festival.  One of my friends, noticing my disappointments said, ‘Oh, you can use my camera to take pictures.’  So, as previously promised, here are those pictures.  I think this is a great note to end my ‘Mid-Autumn Festival’ posts on:

More Lanterns (Mid Autumn Festival)

I came across these lovely lanterns in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST).  Since several people seemed to really like seeing these, I thought I would post them.  Mid-Autumn Festival has already past but some things like this are still around in Hong Kong.  As September ends, they will slowly disappear.  Already, there are no moon cakes it seems. All of these lanterns were part of a single scene located by Victoria Harbour.   Again, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

The moon…

Mid Autumn #3 – Moon cakes

Finally, the most delicious part of Mid Autumn festival! Probably the most important part of the festival, is the moon cake. They are the subject of myth and legends, which I have already shared, and a lot of tradition.  Meant to be shared with friends or family, the traditional moon cake is an oddity – a sweet peanut-butter-like substance (emphasis on thick) fills a heavy pastry, cleverly hiding a yellow egg yolk in the center.  The combination creates a strange combination of sweet, salty, and doughy goodness.  While this may sound mildly unappetizing, it is actually pretty tasty.  There are also several versions, with nuts, berries, and other items – making moon cakes the fruit cake of the East.  Most of you know, I love fruit cake, so I am also a fan of the moon cake.

Modern versions, though, introduce some delightful flavors!  Ice cream and special ‘new’ flavor (lotus, blueberry, etc) moon cakes.  These are even tastier than the traditional ones.  Unfortunately, they stop selling moon cakes soon.  But, here are some pictures of a traditional moon cake.  It is too bad I can’t give you sample digital tastings.

A tiny bundle of joy.

A cross section showing the filling and egg.

Ready to be enjoyed by friends and family!

Mid Autumn #2 – Lanterns

I’ll keep this post brief, and let the pictures speak for themselves. Lanterns are everywhere right now.  I think that when westerners imagine ‘lanterns’ we think of stodgy oil lamps.  Occasionally,we might even recall the bright red lanterns depicted in film.  These red lanterns are omnipresent, but are nothing when compared to the detail and craftsmanship of these lamps.  This pictures were taken near Victoria Park, and each scene depicts a story, ideal, or aspect of the Mid-Autumn Festival.  Some of the stories are Japanese, Korean, or of other Asian origin – each seemed to center around the Moon.  So, enjoy:

Rabbits keeping Chang-E company!

This story centered around a Japanese crop myth.

This myth was about Korean women and drumming.

Mid Autumn #1 – Fire Dragon Dance

I decided to split up my Mid-Autumn Festival writings into three chunks, each focusing on a different part of the festival that I experienced.  First up, the most exciting – a Fire Dragon Dance!

But first, the legend: [paraphrased from here] Once, in the village of Tai Hang, a typhoon hit and brought a massive plague days before Mid-Autumn festival.  While villagers were suffering from this, a large snake came and ate the livestock.  Some of the villagers said that the snake was the son of the Dragon King.  Believing that the events were connected, the villagers danced for three days and nights during the Mid-Autumn Festival, making a large dragon of sticks and incense and exploding firecrackers.  After three days, the plague was gone.

So, in celebration, the dances are held during Mid-Autumn Festival.  In Tai Hang, near the Tin Hau MTR Station, an entire street was closed off on two ends.  Having received excellent advice to get there early, we managed to get fairly good views of the street – but the area around the streets were already packed tightly.  Entering the street was a giant mobile, decorated with large green flags, that held a large drum.  Flanking this were cymbal players and other instruments.  This sonic beast ran up and down the street, pounding out a continuous rhythm the entire evening.  Slowly, people carrying poles with lanterns (each marked with different characters), came walking down the street, followed by the cutest little girls dressed in purple carrying smaller red lanterns.  These two groups climaxed in a vigorous musical number, as the lanterns circled in the street.  Then…waiting….more drumming…some occasional lantern passersby…

Where is the dragon, I thought?  Already, this had been about an hour long event.  Coated in sweat, sore from careening over shorter people, I was eager for a dragon to appear.  Build up and anticipation was beginning to be replaced by fatigue and dehydration.  Finally, something appeared, but barely within eye shot at the other end of the street.  I could hear the shouts, vaguely smell incense, and make out that something exciting was happening just out of my eyesight.  Waiting and waiting, I decided that dragons are old and sometimes slow to make their way toward you.

Finally, the events came down toward us.  Blasts of heat and incense hit us immediately, and for a moment – it felt like a dragon was really there.  Believe me, the pay off was amazing.  Attached to poles, the enormously long serpent was upheld by at least thirty people.  Long sticks of incense jutted out of the slender body, creating an eerie glow and smoke around the beast.  As it danced, ash fell to the ground.  The dragon dashed along the sides of the road, coiling and coiling, circling itself.  As the head rushed past us, heat and smoke filled my lungs.  After coiling up, with the head in the center, the dragon is lowered as far as people can go without setting it on the ground.  Confetti firecrackers exploded and cheers erupted as the beast sat, momentarily subdued.  Then, a loud whistle, and uncoiling began, the tail twirled up and down, and large balls of fiery incense began spinning again.

Since my current camera apparently has achluophobia, I had to use a friend’s camera for pictures.  I will upload a gallery when I get those.  But for now, be lured by these few photos:

Mid-Autumn Festival

Who wouldn’t get behind a festival that celebrates with mini-cakes, lanterns with riddles, and dragons?!  As an added bonus, you get a day off work!  The Mid-Autumn Festival is basically a celebration of the moon.  Folklore has a few possible origins for the holiday (or at least its importance).  Here are my favorite two:

1. The Story of Chang-E : Even under this heading, the versions are manifold.  The standard elements are a woman, named Chang-E, a immortal pill or elixir, and a man, named Houyi, and, of course, the Moon.  Chang-E and Houyi are lovers, though in the stories their relationship can be tenuous (sometimes Houyi is a tyrant or unhappy with the actions of Chang-E). Basically, Chang-E always winds up eating or drinking the immortal substance and floating off to the moon.  She then becomes the Woman in the Moon or a Goddess of the Moon.  Strangely, this is the point at which a rabbit usually shows up in the story.  The rabbit either makes immortal pills and elixirs, sometimes makes moon cakes, or it simply keeps Chang-E company on the moon.

2. Uprising against the Mongols: According to rumor, during the 14th century, while under oppressive rule by the Mongols, the Chinese used moon cakes to pass revolutionary messages.  This supposedly led to a successful revolt, because the Mongols did not eat moon cake.  This story is particularly humorous to me because it was told to me by one of the teachers here at the Institute.  He suggested that any time I have a message to send, I should send it through a pastry so that it would remain secret, and that my recipient would always be happy to receive a free baked good. Note to future imperial powers, though, eat the food of the people you subjugate.

Now the festival is celebrated by eating moon cakes, lighting lanterns, and little parties everywhere. Tonight, I plan on traveling down to Causeway Bay to see some Dragon Dances.  Hopefully, I’ll get some good pictures.