My Favourite Lantern Festival

Essay Writing Competition 2024
Category: 8 - 11 years
- Commendation -

Junior category: Commendation

My Favourite Lantern Festival - Essay by Natalie Woo

My Favourite "Lantern" Festival

The festival I love most is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it is very meaningful in my family. The Mid-Autumn Festival stands for the middle of autumn in China. Chinese from all over the world celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In Singapore, we either have the scorching sun or the rain. Generally, Singaporeans call it "Mooncake Festival", but I would rather call it "Lantern Festival" as lanterns hold very memorable moments for me.

Last year during the Lantern Festival, my family went to my uncle’s house at dusk. All my cousins were there. I took my favourite character, Cinnamoroll lantern and carefully lit the candle inside, watching as a soft, warm glow filled the paper lantern, casting playful shadows around me.

I went for a walk around the garden with my cousins, my uncle and my auntie. The aroma of the fresh flowers spread through the air. The walk was peaceful and calming, and the weather was cooler than usual. On the way back to my uncle’s home, my uncle was in high spirits chatting with my cousins and me. He was as busy as a bee. In fact, he was so busy that he carelessly dropped his lantern. The crisp paper swept across the rough and bumpy ground. The sizzling sound of the fire got louder and started crumpling the paper. The lantern got burnt! Everyone burst into giggles. It was hilarious! By looking at the state of the lantern, I could tell that it would be dangerous for me to handle such a thing. I learnt the importance of not playing with fire.

After the walk, my uncle pulled his house door open. A rush of cold air blasted against our faces. My uncle placed many mooncakes on the dining table. Mooncakes stand for completeness and reunion. I like the Lantern Festival as everyone will get to meet each other. This is why people will stay put in their country during that day. In addition, we can improve our family bonding with each other. I browsed through the varieties of mooncakes available. It was an amazing mix of colours flashing brightly on the table. The first mooncake I saw caught my eye. It was lotus paste with salted egg yolk flavoured mooncake! Although I have eaten it many times, I have never got bored of it. I ate a whole mooncake in a nick of time.

Shortly after, I left the table and went to play games with my cousins, while the adults were chatting animatedly. Chatter and laughter reverberated through the air. Lastly, I looked up at the sky and admired the view. A shining, round and glowing ball hung in the dark sky instead of a silvery claw hanging in the background. It was already late, and the day had come to an end. I left my uncle’s house with a reluctant heart.

I look forward to the next Lantern Festival and cannot wait to bond with my family and relatives again.

In the Age category 8 - 11 years, Natalie's essay is commended. Thank you for sharing your insights about your favourite festival.

Natalie attends Chij (Kellock) Primary School in Singapore. English and Mandarin are her home languages.