Manchester Moon Festival Community Celebration 2004

Albert Square, outside Manchester Town Hall: Sunday 26 September 2004 - 10am-7pm

What is The Moon Festival?
The Moon Festival also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second major festival to Chinese New Year celebrated by Chinese communities worldwide. On the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar, family members and friends gather together to enjoy a special festival banquet & admire beautifully designed lanterns under a full moon & enjoy the festival delicacy, Moon Cake.

The lanterns & moon cake are very symbolic; 1500yrs ago when China was ruled by the Mongolians during the Yuan Dynasty, politicians tried to encourage the people to overthrow the government. They hid messages inside the moon cakes and distributed them as gifts. They identified their comrades by the different shaped & coloured lanterns that they carried. Moon cakes & lantern making have now become the two key features of the Moon Festival.


Whats on at this years Moon Festival?
You can expect to be thoroughly entertained by demonstrations of Chinese arts & crafts including lion dances, Tai chi, Kunfu, music recitals, folk dancing and singing & many other arts. As if this weren't enough, performers from other ethnic groups will be invited to perform and celebrate the Moon Festival. Cultural agencies & organisations will be hosting stalls celebrating the richness of culture in Manchester's local communities, along with art and craft workshops for children and families. And we can hardly call this a festival without some delicious exotic cuisine and at this years festival you'll be able to gorge on traditional foods from the Far East and South East Asia.

This is very much a multi-cultural event. Come along and the celebrate the festival with the community, your friends and most importantly your family.

For more information about festival events or if you're interested in performing, booking a stall and have ideas for community projects please contact:
Kin Cheng - 0784 3529056
Robert Barrie - 0161 7405332

This event is co-organised by Manchester Oriental Orgnaisations Alliance and
Manchester China Town Lions Club.

heehee so tempting!! I might just do that.

Any other takers from the Big Smoke??

Manchester welcomes you me dear! Would be great to meet u!

As it happens I'm going to be in London on the 10th for the Chinese Arts Centre seminar at the National Portrait Gallery....but as CAC are kindly funding me to attend, the train tickets I have been given are for more or less directly before and after the seminar! Haha, we will get to meet one day....yeah yeah I can hear you say !

Amyxx