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The mid-autumn festival held in Singapore was brought by their Chinese ancestors and is still celebrated with much mirth and ardour. A yearly even in August or September, the festival has many legends attached to it. Also called the Mooncake or Lantern festival, the traditional date for the festival is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Originally a harvest festival over the centuries, it has become a celebration of fertility and harvest.
Moon worship is an integral aspect of this event and it is believed that the sun and moon are a couple while all the stars are their children. According to such beliefs, the moon becomes round when she is pregnant and after giving birth she changes to a crescent. Another legend associated with the moon is that of Chang'e; the moon goddess of immortality. While one version of it states that Chang'e became a goddess by drinking the elixir of immortality to prevent her husband's evil apprentice stealing it, another states that she drank it to prevent her husband who became a tyrannical ruler, reign forever.
Similar to Thanksgiving, the mid-autumn festival is more of a family gathering where you spend quality time with your loved ones. People also head over to Chinatown to soak in the carnival atmosphere. The origins of lanterns becoming part of this festival is unknown, over time however they have evolved to become the symbol of the event. Today thousands of lanterns, in various hues, brightly lit and beautiful decorate the city.
Mooncakes are another important element of the mid-autumn festival. Distributing a round mooncake to everyone in the family and sharing it together is considered a symbol of unity and reunion. Mooncakes can be found in a variety of flavours like lotus, egg yolk, durian, chocolate, coffee, ice cream and many other scrumptious tastes.
This celebration attracts tons of visitors and the city can get very crowded, therefore finding suitable accommodation means booking Singapore hotels in advance. Hotels in Singapore are available for any budget and early booking offers are also available. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Singapore is one of the renowned hotels. Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry. Google+
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