Was planning to roll out my second instalment of my KL travel & food posts this week but decided to do something different today.
Hubby and I visited Gardens by the Bay last month on the first day of its Mid-Autumn Festival that was held from 3 – 18 September. Meant to share about this much earlier but I was so busy trying to catch up on my backlog of work after falling sick for weeks that I totally forgot. I only remembered about it when I was downloading photos from my camera earlier this weekend. Nonetheless, I thought I would still do a throwback post. If you’re interested to catch the lantern displays next year, Mid-Autumn would fall on the first week of October 2017 so that would be a good time to visit Singapore if you aren’t from here.
This is Chang Er – the Chinese goddess of the Moon.
Chang Er is one of the most well-known characters in Chinese mythology. After consuming an elixir of immortality, she flew towards the moon and resided there.
At the Colonnade of Lights near the Supertree Grove, there were 4,000 lanterns painted by people from all walks of life.
I really loved these hand-painted lanterns because we could see a lot of creativity in these pieces of art work and at the same time, know what Mid-Autumn Festival mean to some people.
The lantern on the right with a picture of teapot and teacups was one of my favourites.
The Jade Rabbit, also known as the Moon Rabbit, was bestowed the gift of immortality for its selflessness and generosity towards mankind. In Chinese folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion to Chang Er.
The Matchmaker or Yue Lao is the God of Marriage and Love who brings couples together.
The Ten Suns – this is Chang Er’s husband, Hou Yi. Long long time ago, there were 10 suns which caused the Earth to scorch under the blazing heat. Hou Yi who was an expert archer, shot down 9 of the suns. He was then given the elixir of immortality which his wife took (unfortunately) and flew to the moon.
Supertree Grove
Food street
The Eternal Woodcutter, Wu Gang is the legendary woodcutter who lives on the moon. Some say the shadow we see on a full moon is that of Wu Gang trying to cut down a tree that will self-heal and grow back.
The Moon and the Sun is part of this Korean folklore whereby a pair of siblings escaped a tiger’s attack by grabbing onto a rope that descended from Heaven. They rose above the clouds where the sister transformed into the sun and the brother, the moon.
Reflection of the Moon – A monkey saw a brilliant white orb in a pond below the tree branch it was resting on. It tried very hard to reach for the orb but it fell into the water instead. When it was splashing around in the water, it caught sight of the beautiful full moon. Yes, the orb was just a reflection of the moon. Well, the moral of the story is about how our obsession with material possessions could make us forget the meaning of true beauty.
Indeed, Chinese folklores and tales are intended to impart moral values and virtues to all of us especially the younger ones. This walk through Gardens by the Bay was truly an educational experience alongside with countless selfie and wefie moments. 😉 Looking forward to coming back for next year’s festival!