A temporary festive respite from bad news on Mid-Autumn/Mooncake/Lantern Festival weekend (Photo-essay)

The Harvest Moon came out last night, the night of the Mid-Autumn/Mooncake/Lantern Festival.  As was the case last year, I headed over to Victoria Park in the evening to check out the lantern display there.  Before that, I already had spotted the full moon up in the sky.  Earlier in the day, I also had enjoyed partaking of a mooncake -- lotus paste with double yolks (my favorite type of mooncake!) -- bought from a member of the Yellow Economic Circle (for lunch!).   

While strolling about and enjoying the lantern displays in Victoria Park, I couldn't help but wonder why it is that this activity has been allowed (for two years in a row now!) but other once annual events held on the same site have not.  With the Hong Kong Flower Show, one could say that it's had the misfortune to have been scheduled to take place (for three years in a row now!) when Hong Kong has been experiencing a Covid wave (though in 2020 and 2021, Hong Kong didn't have the ~10,000 daily new cases that we currently are having).  But one suspects otherwise with the June 4th memorial candlelight vigils (which, frankly, would be far easier to maintain social distancing at, since the bulk of the event participants spent the bulk of the event sitting still in one spot).

 

Strangely, yet another once annual event that's fallen prey to Hong Kong's pandemic regulations has been the fire dragon dances that used to take place around the same time as the Mid-Autumn Festival.  And yes, I miss all of those events.  Still, looking on the bright side, at least I got to celebrate the Mid-Autumn/Mooncake/Lantern Festival again this year with mooncake eating and lantern viewing (though, as has been the case in all of the years that I've been in Hong Kong), it really still felt more like summer than autumn still on this supposed mid-autumn day and night!   

I cut the mooncake I ate yesterday into quarters, 

with each quarter having part of a yolk in it 

that's supposed to resemble the moon :) 

 

Last night's full moon

 

Red lanterns and bright moon

 

"Lucky cat welcoming the festive season" -- and yeah,

Hong Kong(ers) sure could do with some good luck this season/year!

 

Yes, Hong Kong's lantern displays can get pretty whimsical ;b

 

"Moon story" spheres that changed colors, and had rabbits inside! :)

 

I wonder: would Queen Victoria have been amused? ;)

 

I did get the feeling though that many of the visitors to Victoria Park

last night were happy to be able to enjoy the lantern display and 

temporarily forget the woes that Hong Kong has been -- 

and continues to be -- subjected to in recent years