News / Halaman York / 2016 / August 2016

Old memories were rekindled as adults grabbed the chance to play traditional games during the ‘Nania Game Day’ at Taman Jajar last month. The children were filled with glee as well as they learnt to play those games with the adults happily. Laughter filled the air as the parents and children enjoyed games such as the Handkerchief game, Gunny Sack Race, Giant Bubble Blowing, Hopscotch, One Legged Race, Pepsi-Cola, Seven Stones and Marbles. These games are slowly vanishing and this event was a good way to introduce them to children. The parents perspired profusely during the outdoor side games but made many new friends during the event. We are sure everyone had a wonderful Saturday morning like we did. Thank you for all those who turned up and participated enthusiastically to show your whole-hearted support. 

Lantern Festival is just around the corner. Coloured lanterns [Tanglung] are strung up in shops and shopping malls. The Lantern Festival [also known as moon Cake Festival], a mid-autumn Festival is the third major festival of the Chinese calendar. It is celebrated on the 15^th day of the eighth month. It is also known as the Moon Cake Festival because a special kind of sweet cake [Yueh Ping] prepared in the shape of the moon and filled with sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds and salted yolks from duck eggs is served as a tradisional Chung Chiu delicacy.

It is a busy month for us as we prepare for the Lantern festival. The children are excited because they were making their own beautiful lantern. We feel proud of their work. You may have also noticed that the hall display is decorated with colourful lanterns for the Lantern festival. We are practising songs and poems in Mandarin, Japanese, Malay, Hokkien and English. The children enjoy them very much!

The children have been gradually picking the blue flowers and passing them to Aunty Anny to be used as food dye. On the festival day, children will make their own winter moon cake in the morning. They will also make colourful lanterns to decorate the garden. During the Lantern Festival, we will enjoy the moon cake, the children’s presentations and also participate in the lantern walk with the children’s hand-made lantern.

They are looking forward to the Lantern festival and children will bring back their self-made ‘snow skin moon cake’ on that night.

The festival will be held in the evening in Nania’s garden. Parents and siblings are welcome to join us. On that day, the children will leave for home earlier, that is, at 1.00 pm. They will return to Nania for the Lantern Festival with their families at 6.15 pm.

Enclosed with this month’s newsletter are the songs that we are practising for the Lantern festival and the festival programme during that day.

Lastly, next month we will have a week’s holiday.  We take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday.

                                                                                                    Teacher Chithra