When I was in Pekan
Nanas recently for an exhibition to showcase The Art Journey of Pekan Nanas,
I met with local art activist, Cha Ming Cheng of Batu 27 Creative, who told
me about how the local community celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival here.
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| The art of flying strings of lighted lanterns in the sky during the Mid-Autumn festival, is unique to Pekan Nanas |
To most traditional
Chinese, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just as important as the Spring Festival that
welcomes the Lunar New Year and is celebrated with a family reunion that
includes a banquet dinner followed by playing lanterns, eating mooncakes and
pomelo in the garden, while admiring the full moon.
This tradition has
been observed through generations and in recent years, events have also been
organized to celebrate together as a community.
In towns like Muar,
Batu Pahat, Kukup and Pekan Nanas where there is a large Chinese community, the
Mid-Autumn Festival is part of their annual community event calendar.
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| Kids with lighted paper lanterns ready to walk around the village; Note the strings of lighted lanterns in the sky! |
Cha told me that
Pekan Nanas has a unique way to celebrate this season because the stronger
winds around this time of year, encourages locals to fly their kites.
In fact, it’s
probably the only town which combines the art of kite-flying with lanterns by
stringing 40 to 50 paper lanterns together to fly them up with their kites.
He fondly recalls
that during his childhood, he would watch the strings of lanterns floating in
the sky and had fun counting the number of lanterns.
In those days,
candles were used to light the lanterns so these might be blown out, but he
admitted that it was more fascinating to watch if a lantern caught fire!
It was certainly a
skill to maneuver a giant kite and keep it flying but to also lift the strings
of lighted lanterns and keep them flying high must be an added challenge.
Their Mid-Autumn
Festival event this year was organized by Batu 27 Creative in collaboration
with the Pekan Nanas New Village Head, Phang Wee Kiew, and supported by Majlis
Pengurusan Kommuniti Kampung (MPKK) or Village Community Management
Committee.
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| A carnival atmosphere at the Mid-Autumn Festival event in the compound of SJK (C) Yu Ming 1 & 2, Pekan Nanas |
The little that Cha
shared with me ignited much interest in this Johor town which is doing its part
to keep traditions alive while building stronger bonds in the community.
Closer to the date,
Cha sent me an invitation complete with a map to help me find my way to the
event venue in a school situated within the village.
It was easy to reach the
compound of SJK (C) Yu Ming 1 & 2 in Pekan Nanas which is adjacent to an
open field, linked to a basketball court and children’s playground.
It was a picture of a
charming village green with young people playing while the road bordering the
school was cordoned off for food stalls run by both Malay and Chinese vendors.
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| Audience watching the aerobic exercise routine by primary school students to encourage a healthier lifestyle |
In the school
compound, secondary school students were in-charge of operating a section
selling food and beverage and running games stalls in another section.
The carnival
atmosphere prevailed along rows of stalls for local products and handicrafts,
including fresh pineapples and pineapple products by Nectar, a homestay
operator that offers village tours and pottery classes and I even met a Malay
couple, M & Z, who creates products made from threads derived from
pineapple leaves.
Cha and his family had a stall to
promote a range of handicrafts made from wood salvaged from wooden pallets,
designed as coasters, fridge magnets and keychains as well as small trinket boxes,
skillfully embossed with a range of window grille motifs.
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| A square wooden lantern with window grille design cut-outs on four sides for the rays of light to shine out |
He told me that the interesting range
of metal window grille designs in new village homes was the inspiration for this
series of designs and his latest product is a square wooden lantern with window
grille design cut-outs on four sides for rays to shine from a tea-light candle
burning within.
Then Cha took me to a
stage, set up for performances and the show kicked off with an aerobic exercise
routine by primary school students, aimed to encourage a healthier lifestyle in
the community.
I observed that while
this group comprised mainly of Chinese, there were also Malay and Indian
children, and Cha commented that it was common for non-Chinese to study in
Chinese schools here.
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| Traditional kite-maker, Chow Hon Pin [Left] with Cha Ming Cheng [Right] This giant kite will lift up a string of lighted lanterns and stay invisible in the night sky. |
Then Cha introduced
me to traditional kite-maker, Chow Hon Pin, 70, renowned not only for making
kites but also for skills in flying strings of lighted lanterns with a giant
kite.
Cha shared with me
that when he was approached, Chow was initially reluctant to participate with
them in this event.
“I’m too old,” was
the excuse from older kite-flying enthusiasts in Pekan Nanas.
Unwilling to give up,
Cha persisted and finally convinced Chow to showcase his skills in flying a
kite linked to lanterns, to a new generation of people.
With 30 years of
kite-flying experience, Chow gave it up in 2009 due to his advancing age and changes
in weather patterns.
Last week, when Chow
and his team did a trial-run to fly his giant kite linked to a string of
lighted lanterns, Cha captured the performance in photographs and videos.
Posted on social
media, it reached more than 70,000 people, many of whom responded with keen
interest to come to witness its revival here.
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| The school's brass band proudly led the villagers and visitors on a traditional night walk through the village holding lighted lanterns hung from bamboo sticks. |
At twilight, throngs
of people gathered around the field where Chow and his team sent three of his
giant kites skywards and successfully kept a string of lanterns alight – using
LED lights – and flying above the event area.
Then candles were lit
in paper lanterns for children to take a walk around the village holding the lanterns,
just as it was traditionally enjoyed in past generations.
Proudly led by the
school’s brass band, villagers, visitors – I spied a few foreigners – and MPKK
representatives joined the crowd to experience a traditional night walk through
the village, holding lighted lanterns hung from bamboo sticks.
Cha is confident that
the revival of this sport unique to Pekan Nanas has gained interest among a new
generation and is set to become a major attraction in future Mid-Autumn
Festivals to build a greater sense of pride in the local community.
A version of this was published in the October 2019 issue of The Iskandarian.
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