Flag Raising Ceremony Students’ Sharing 2025-10-9

William and Vivian, students from Form 5 Bombax and Form 4 Juniper, respectively, shared about the significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Apart from eating mooncakes, gazing at the moon, and playing with lanterns, it is more about family reunions and thanksgiving.

Written by William HUNG (Form 5) and Vivian JIN (Form 4)

William: Good morning, Principal, assistant principals, teachers, and fellow schoolmates. We’re the CLACH ambassadors. I’m William from F5 Bombax.

Vivian: 我是中四龍柏社的Vivian。

William: Vivian, did you see the full moon on Tuesday night? It was so big and bright!

Vivian: 當然看見了! 中秋節當晚的月亮又大又圓，我拍了不少照片呢！提到中秋節，我有一個問題考考你：你知道為什麼我們在中秋節都要吃月餅嗎？

William: A typical question! Most people know we’re eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival because the round shape of the moon symbolizes family reunion and completeness. Here's a fun fact for you: like fortune cookies, mooncakes were once used to hide secret messages!

Vivian: 祕密訊息？怎麼說得像在拍間諜電影一樣！

William: Exactly! It was really like a spy movie. During the Yuan Dynasty, rebels hid secret messages inside mooncakes to coordinate their uprising on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. So, next time you eat a mooncake, remember you might be biting into a piece of history!

Vivian: 嘩！！一個平平無奇的小月餅，竟然可以用來傳遞起義的秘密訊息。那除了吃月餅﹑品故事，中國人在過中秋節時還有好多重要的活動，最要緊的一項肯定是吃團圓飯，然後一家人齊齊整整地到公園或高處去賞月。

William: You’re right!! The most important activity is having a family dinner. It's like a big family reunion, similar to Thanksgiving in Western countries. After dinner, families will go to a park or a high place to appreciate the full moon, which is called "賞月" (shǎng yuè).

Vivian: 正是如此，那天晚上我跟家人到公園去，看到小朋友們開開心心地提着各式各樣的燈籠在玩耍，公園也裝飾了不少漂亮的燈籠，燈籠上還有不少燈謎讓人猜呢！大人小孩都玩得不亦樂乎！對了，燈籠背後又有沒有什麼故事呢？

William: That's another key tradition! We carry lanterns to light up the night, symbolizing the light of the moon. In the past, people made lanterns in various shapes, like animals or flowers. Nowadays, we have all sorts of creative designs, including cartoon characters! It’s also a time for solving lantern riddles, which are riddles written on the lanterns. It's a fun and challenging game for all ages.

Vivian: 人人提着燈籠，除了好玩，還有映照天上的月光、點亮夜晚之意，既溫馨又有氣氛。其實不管是吃月餅、賞月還是玩燈籠，所有活動都圍繞着中華民族最核心的意義，那便是「團圓」。

William: You've hit on a key point. Beyond the traditional activities of eating mooncakes, gazing at the moon, and carrying lanterns, the festival holds a deep cultural significance. You mentioned "Reunion" (團圓, tuán yuán), which is so crucial to Chinese people’s core values. It's about families getting together: The full moon, not a waning moon, none of its parts are missing. The perfect bright circle represents all family members getting together. Do you know what the other core meanings are? They’re having Thanksgiving and Praying.

Vivian: 一家人「團圓」相聚自是中國人最重要的價值觀，「感恩」與「祈福」又是什麼說法呢？你能再說一說嗎？

William: Of course. Thanksgiving (感恩, gǎn ēn) is for the harvest. As the festival falls in the middle of autumn, a harvest season, the Mid-Autumn Festival is to express our gratitude for the harvest of food and blessings. And praying (祈福, qí fú), it’s for blessings. The festival is a moment to express hopes for good fortune, health, and happiness in the coming year.

Vivian: 聽你這麼一說，中秋節不僅僅是一個吃喝玩樂的假期而已，這一天還提醒了我們要珍惜跟親朋友好友相聚的時光，並且要對生活常存感恩之心。雖然中秋節剛過，但我相信這份精神會鼓舞我們對未來抱有無盡的希望！

William: Well said! So even though the holiday is over, we hope everyone can carry with them the festival's beautiful spirit of togetherness, gratitude, and hope. Next year, when you're enjoying your mooncakes and appreciating the beautiful full moon, remember the history and the spirits behind this wonderful festival!

Vivian: 說得好！我們今天的分享到此結束，謝謝大家的聆聽！

William: That’s the end of our sharing. Thank you!