Various activities to celebrate traditional Mid-Autumn Festival

Although Vietnam is still in the severe fourth wave of the Covid-19, children throughout the country the still have opportunity to experience the fascinating once-a-year festival and learn about Vietnamese traditional culture.

The online display is entitled “Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion” at the website of Thang Long Imperial Citadel. Photo: Lai Tan

This year’s full moon season is very special for Vietnamese children as most activities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival are held online.

As part of the online art program series entitled “Sharing love to overcome the pandemic” organized by the Department of Performing Arts, a special night for children called “Mid-Autumn Festival for Children” will be held at 8pm on September 21 at three points of Vietnam Puppet Theater, Vietnam Circus Federation and Thang Long Puppet Theater.

The program is broadcast live on a Youtube channel called “Nghe thuat bieu dien Vienam” (Vietnamese Art Performances) and Facebook of the Department of Performing Arts at https://www.facebook.com/cucntbd.

The children will have a chance to enjoy various art performances such as “Light procession under the full-moon”, “The moon’s shadow on bamboo trees” that are performed by artists from the Vietnam Puppet Theater; “Goat circus” and “Magic clown” are performed by artists of Vietnam Circus Federation, in addition to the Moon Lady, Rice drum and Lion dances, among others that are performed by artists from Thang Long Puppet Theater.

The “Lantern lights up dreams” art performance draws the participation of various renowned Vietnamese artists who will entertain children with songs, dances, and comedies-themed Mid-Autumn Festival. The art performance will be broadcast live on the Facebook pages of the Central Youth Union, the Central Junior Youth Council, Hanoi Junior Youth Council, and Hanoi Children’s Palace at 8pm on September 20.

It is an initiative of the Youth Union and the Hanoi Junior Youth Council with the participation of seven points from provinces and cities nationwide including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, among others.

Artists from Vietnam Circus Federation to perform at the "Mid-Autumn Festival for Children" program. Photo: Minh An

In addition to art performances, an exhibition entitled “Mid-Autumn Festival in the eyes of children” are held online by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition (Ministry of Culture and Tourism) from September 20 to December 31, at http://ape.gov.vn. The exhibition introduces an overview of the origin and meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and memories of the old Mid-Autumn Festival through documentary photos and traditional Vietnamese toys.

The online display entitled “Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion” is available from September 19 at the website of Thang Long Imperial Citadel of hoangthanhthanglong.vn and trungbayonline.hoangthanhthanglong.vn. The cultural event is organized by Thang Long – Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre.

The display features a banquet of traditional Mid-Autumn Festival; the newly restored toys of old Hanoians; and a series of clips themed Mid-Autumn presented by renowned local historian Le Van Lan.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Youth Social Work Centre in collaboration with the Vietnam Young Doctors Association organized the program titled “Mid-Autumn Festival for children 2021”.

Accordingly, the program will present 5,000 gifts to children who are Covid-19 patients; children whose parents are Covid-19 patients; children who have lost a parent or both because of Covid-19; and children who are temporarily separated from their parents due to Covid-19.

Through each of these art performances and programs, organizers wish to soothe the spirit of children, and at the same time, call on adults to unite and make more efforts to overcome the pandemic.