As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the streets become more colorful than ever with all kinds of decorations and beautiful colored lights. Since the beginning of the month, lanterns have appeared in many stalls, and moon cakes have also begun to be sold with all kinds of designs and flavors. In the increasingly close rhythm of the Reunion Festival, adults become busier, children become more excited. But amidst all the hustle and bustle, I still feel like something is missing - like the atmosphere and beauty of the old moon seasons.
Perhaps that is why, every time I pass by the lantern street in District 5, my feet actively slow down, lingering in front of the traditional paper lanterns. The images of lanterns shaped like carps, stars, and crabs... hanging from the stalls, even without candlelight, still seem to shine into my soul - to remind and tell the story of a simple, but loving Mid-Autumn Festival of the past.
Mid-Autumn Festival in the past - light from small things
The Mid-Autumn Festival in the old days did not have many choices, but there were many things to remember. The lanterns at that time did not play music, did not flash, and were not mass-produced. They were handmade, highlighted by a layer of cellophane stretched on a slender bamboo frame, lit by a small candle.
Each lantern was a handmade work, the result of meticulousness, ingenuity and love of adults for children. For children, it was a precious gift, a brilliant joy in the moonlight, a guiding light in lantern parades around the neighborhood.
Not only lanterns, but even the Mid-Autumn Festival trays were also very simple. No need for high-end cakes or luxurious gift boxes, just a few moon cakes, some seasonal fruits such as bananas, grapefruits, persimmons, and a pot of hot tea were enough for the whole family to gather together. The atmosphere was not noisy, not ostentatious, but strangely warm. Each person had a story, a laugh, ... all creating a Mid-Autumn picture full of love and connection.
I still remember clearly the Mid-Autumn nights in the countryside, when the whole neighborhood gathered together. Children chattered with lanterns, running around the yard, the light from the paper lanterns shimmering with each step. Adults sat by the tea tray, chatting animatedly, occasionally laughing at the innocence of the children. The bright moonlight shone down on the brick yard, laughter echoed in the cool breeze of early autumn - no need for anything elaborate or ostentatious. It is the presence and reunion that creates the atmosphere of the old moon seasons.
Those were moon seasons that were not as brilliant and splendid as modern ones, but they were the most brilliant moon seasons in people's hearts. They were Mid-Autumn Festivals that were not elaborate, but full. They were memories that each time I recall them, my heart feels softer.
Mid-Autumn Festival today - modern, but sometimes rushed
As time passes, the Mid-Autumn Festival also gradually changes - though quietly but clearly enough.
The cellophane paper lanterns that once sparkled under the moonlight have now been replaced by electronic lanterns that play music and flash in many colors. They are convenient, easy to buy, easy to use, but lack the attachment, the feeling of excitement when holding a paper lantern lit by a candle, afraid that the wind will blow it out, afraid that your shaking hands will tear the thin layer of paper.
Electronic lanterns have more diverse designs and are more convenient, but still lack the soul and traditional beauty of paper lanterns.
Mooncakes are no longer a simple family dish. Now, they have become luxurious gifts, elaborately packaged, sometimes more about form than taste. Traditional baked cakes and sticky rice cakes with green bean, salted egg, lotus seed fillings… are gradually giving way to new, beautiful but distant fillings.
The atmosphere of gathering around the feast is also gradually fading away. Adults are busy with work, children are absorbed in the screens of phones and tablets. Mid-Autumn Festival still comes every year, still brightly lit on the streets, still has lanterns hanging high and music echoing. But sometimes, it all becomes just a holiday marked on the calendar, no longer a moon season to remember, to look forward to, to live fully in every moment.
There are times when I wonder: Will the next generation still know about paper lanterns, still sit and eat mooncakes under the moon, still carry lanterns with friends amid cheerful laughter? Or are all these just memories contained in the minds of those who have lived through simple but loving Mid-Autumn Festivals?
And if the beauty of Mid-Autumn Festival is truly fading away, will anyone be patient enough to rekindle its light - from a paper lantern, a small tray of food, or simply an evening gathering under the moon?
Fire Keepers - To Keep the Moon Season from Fading
In the midst of the constant flow of modernity, where everything is digitized, minimalist and running at speed, there are still people who quietly choose to go against the flow - to preserve things that seem old and faded in memory. They are not noisy, not ostentatious, but with perseverance and deep love for national culture, they are rekindling the light of the old moon seasons.
The lantern street in District 5 is still lit every year, still hanging traditional paper lanterns. Each lantern is not just a toy, but a symbol of ingenuity, of childhood memories, of old Mid-Autumn seasons. And somewhere, besides the old and skilled artisans who are quietly preserving the craft of making paper lanterns, there are still young people who love old things and contribute to preserving them. Like the group of young people "Khoi Dang Tac Khi" who are still diligently making traditional paper lanterns and promoting them to everyone, to other young people.
Luckily, there are still artisans who preserve the craft of making paper lanterns.
Lanterns made by the group of young people "Khoi Dang Tac Khi"
Lanterns made by the group of young people "Khoi Dang Tac Khi"
These young people seem to be rekindling cultural fragments that are gradually being forgotten.
They are not only making handicrafts, but also preserving a part of the Vietnamese soul. So that Mid-Autumn Festival is not just a holiday marked on the calendar, but a moon season with soul, depth, and a distinct identity. A moon season that when mentioned, people not only remember cakes, lanterns, but also remember the gathering, the connection, and irreplaceable spiritual values.
Conclusion
Today’s Mid-Autumn Festival may be different from the past. But when I see a lit paper lantern, when I sit and enjoy tea with a simple tray of food, I know that: the old moon season is still there, in the hearts of those who know how to appreciate it.
Going back in time, we not only look back to our childhood, but also to cultural values that are gradually fading away. And if possible, let’s keep a bit of the old Mid-Autumn Festival - in the light, in the taste of the cake, in the laughter gathered under the moon.
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CREDIT:
- Photography: Kien Trang, Luan Nguyen
- Content: Giang Huynh
- Design: Trung Huynh
