Mid-Autumn In My Heart

I’m a forgetful person, who always have a hard time to keep things in my mind. And that’s the reason my ipad is locked forever. But magically I still remember those days that we celebrated the mid-autumn festival in our old neighborhood when I was a kid.

On that day, my friends and I would run home immediately right after school to get our star-shaped lanterns. Then we rode bicycle to go to the house of culture where there were many activities for kids on this holiday. We gathered together in circle to watch lion dances, to listen to the legend of Cuoi, Hang sister and the banyan tree- a popular Vietnamese fairy tale that explains the origin of the festival., to play traditional games to win some cakes and candies. After we were tired of running around with our lanterns, the sun went down, we went on a racing bicycle to get home.

This festival occurs on the 15^th of August in chinese calendar, and this time is at the roundest and brightest moon in the year. This is considered as a family union by all Vietnamese. We often eat Moon cake, which symbolizes luck, happiness, health and wealth on this day. I remembered that a Chinese autie usually gave us Nian Gao- a traditional cake for Lunar new year and our family cooked floating cakes- marble dumplings made of white rice flour, with rock sugar fillings  to share with other families in our neighborhood. 

Maybe, you would never know how fun it was when we enjoyed a holiday without electricity and modern devices, and every family went outside to celebrate the holiday. While adults were gathering on mats in front of our house to play Tu sac cards or talking to each other, My friends- Bin, Hon, Ti,.. and I were singing moon festival songs when parading along the neighborhood with lanterns in our hands. Then we used a lot of candles to organize in shape of a star, a moon, a fish,.. any pictures that happened in our minds. My friends and I are very happy and fully enjoyed our holiday because this was an only holiday that we were allowed to stay up late to celebrate the festival. Sometimes the sounds from an old cassette what we used to use to turn on old songs those day just float in my mind to remind me of those true happiness. The taste of floating cakes is as sweet as my memory of those old days. But happy days didn’t last long.

As I was eight, the Chinese autie – Mi was gone after trying to kill herself because of her struggling in her life. Then I felt a big difference in our neighbor, holidays seemed less interesting without her. After a few years, my friends and I got older, we became busier with our own things, we  stucked with phones instead of spending time with each other. Then my neighbor kept moving to new places and new neighbor kept coming, I realized that we lost something very important. This is my most memorable moment because it will never happen in life the second time.

When I live in Hawaii, holidays are not as exciting as old holidays. I spend more time with my family instead of splitting time with my friends, I sometimes talk to my mom about Mi auntie, about our happy days when we still had her. But I appreciate that I had those cheerful days to raise me up in a rainy day, to have something to tell when I am asked about my childhood.