Meeting in JB was a dull affair - budget, 9th Malaysia plan etc... The highlight was actually the evening meals. As this is the fasting month, hence no food was served in-between meetings. In the evenings, we would collect our food. As usual, with buffet, plates were piled mountain high and we would sit around, made small talk while waiting for the signal to break the faast. There was a siren, then one of the hotel's employee beat a drum in rhythmnic beats, prayers were said and the gorging began... including yours truly.....
At the end of the 3rd day of meeting, I took a bus from JB to Sri Gading. The place has changed. There's a four-lane road and wah-lau!.. Traffic lights !! Progress has come to this sleepy village. So impressed I was, that I missed the junction to the village. I was quite lost and called mum & sis. Mum got Ah Meng to pick me from the Parit Yanni junction. Home at last! It has been decades since I last spent Mid Autumn festival at home. It used to be a much-anticipated festival - with all the sweet gluey cakes and the sweet mooncakes plus all the chicken and special food prepared only during festive seasons. (Mind you - chicken were served only on rare occasions - perhaps 6 to 8 times a year. Unlike today where kids eat chicken almost everyday.) After dinner, my brother's children lighted the lanterns - beautiful traditional ones as well as the ones with their 'super heroes' - spiderman, ultraman, doremon etc. Thanks to Indonesia, the moon was hardly visible and so we spent a hazy evening sitting on the swing - chatting with the family. The next day, I visited my aunt (mother's sister) and sis took me to a dragon fruit farm - cheap! cheap! It was practically 'buy 2 free one' and the orchard owners, being sis's friend were so generous as to offer us some extra fruits. I spent the 2nd night in Kluang in bro's house and on the 3rd day flew back to KK. If Alicia were here, were would have a whale of a time walking down memory lane.
4 comments:
So nice... I miss the atmosphere of festivals such as the lantern/mooncake festival. I must make sure I keep track of all these festivals and celebrations and celebrate them ourselves over here next year
I missed the Moon Cake festival this year, too busy and too preoccupied. Yvonne questioned me a week later "Mum when is Moon Cake Festival,and our mooncake?" She is not IMPRESSED! I think she wanted to lit all the lanterns...
Childhood memories were good. The children used to gather at our house getting ready to parade to the rest of the village to show off our lanterns.The lanterns were of all shapes, in the shape of rabbit, dragon, pretty maiden,and some had the modern design like aeroplane. Some are simple home made lanterns, others were very tastefully done. We kids would parade round the village under the escort of big brother (bless him) ;along the Malay kampong to show off our lanterns to our Malay neighbours, on the way one or two lanterns would caught fire and you could heard gasp followed by howling. At the end of the procession , all the children would end up in our house again, big brother and grandma would help to hang the lanterns on the gauva trees and we would gather around the table (mum used to prepare the table in the front garden,laiden with food, moon cake and softdrink) The adults would be telling the story of the vain maiden who escaped to the moon to avoid being punished by the emperor for stealing the emperor's medicine "for eternity youth"; then there is this handsome, strong axeman who has been,(still is)trying to chop the giant tree in the moon. Each time he stopped, the tree regrows, (real environmentlist's fantasy).There is also a rabbit in the moon, how this furry friend get up ther is still a mystery to me up to this time. It was fun time,we kids were never tired of listening to this same stories.we lied next to our mothers,listening to their chatters, looking up at the full moon, trying to figure up where the hell is the axeman and the pretty maiden in the moon, till the eyelids became heavier and heavier.....
Another memory of moon cake festival was not a pleasant one, but it demonstrated how matured and daring I was as a young girl.
One of my younger brother was trying to make his own lantern with bamboo stick and the other brother tried to take the bamboo from him in the struggle, the razor sharp edge of the bamboo stick caused a big, long laceration on one of the brother's palm, it needed stitching. At that time, mum was a shy housebound village woman (not the globe trotting grandma you know nowadays!), there were no men or other adults at home, I was 12 years old and I had to make a decision. The cut was big, bleeding profusely, and needed stitching, I had no choice but to scooped up my brother, took a taxi (Ah Hong)to the general hospital in BP.I don't know how I managed to find the Emergency department, but I remembered the male nurse (it must be the male nurse, I don't think the doctor did the suturing then) My poor brother was crying and this bloody heartless male nurse was taunting him for crying, I remembered scolding the male nurse for taunting my brother, my words were " Don't scold my brother, it is very painful you know. If you have been cut like this you would be crying too.." He was taken back by my comment and did not said another word, but proceed to start suturing...my brothe who read this story, look at the scar on your palm..and you know how much your sister loved you and protected you.
As for standing up to authority, after all these years, I have not change, still a challenge for some of those on the top...!
well i managed to burn a few lanterns this year :D
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