PLAYING WITH LANTERNS (Part 2)

When the night falls, it is time to go out to play with the lanterns!

The flickering candles and the colourful lanterns swaying in the slight breeze invokes the child in everyone.

 Chloe and Chester revelling with their aunties and uncle Chee Ken.  

Must-have for the festival - mini yam and "ling gok" or Devil Pod or Bat Nut as they are called. These are the seeds of  a type aquatic plant.  This naturally sculpted botanical oddity looks like a  flying bat! In China the bat is a lucky animal (the name "bat" (Fu) sound just like the word happiness (fu) so, to the Chinese it is considered a lucky food to eat! My memories are these nuts are so hard that we had to use a hammer to crack open the pod to get the edible flesh.  But nowadays such tools are not necessary, they are much softer and you can just use your molars! 

Handmade lanterns - done by the kindergarden teachers of course and coloured by the kids.

What is Mooncake Festival without mooncakes?

Yes, it is exactly that big and round. 

This one whole mooncake was given by our Ku-Chei and family  from Guangzhou.  My brother was in Shanghai for meeting and enroute dropped by Guangzhou to see Ku Chei as she has been hospitalized earlier.  

This must be the common practice in China- one big round mooncake to be shared by the whole family- signifying togetherness on such an auspicous day when the moon is at its fullest.

This filling is nutty paste.  The texture is surprisingly soft and moist unlike the usual nutty paste mooncake- so that old and young also can partake, I guess.  There are traces of meat floss and strong aroma of tangerine peel/lime and not too sweet even with the bits and pieces of candied wintermelon.   Loved it with a cup of warm chinese tea. 

This box is called "7 Stars accompanying the Moon"- each different filling paste- also from Guangzhou.  

These are local jelly mooncakes sold by an old neighbour

Cendol,  Mango, Red Bean and Durian flavours

Various teas,   my Strawberry Cheesecake (minus the jelly top - sigh!!minor disaster there),  nangka and pomelo,  dried prunes - pick your choice! 

Finally my yam mooncakes too!

Comparing the sizes.... of the mooncakes-lah.


While the talking and eating were going on, the karaoke session began.

The different stances of the singers.

Some like to stand and sing.

 While other sit supported

some needed the kid's help(chair)!

The fun has not ended yet..... continuing part 3...