Sunday, September 14, 2008

Joyful Lantern Festival & Fruit Fiesta Gathering

Lau Weng San leading the residents during the lantern walkabout at Taman Aman Park.

PETALING JAYA: The light from hundreds of lanterns sparkled off the shimmering waters of Taman Aman as a bright moon rose over the lake.

The mesmerising lion dance had the crowd roaring.

Over 150 people, most of whom live near the park, were parading around the lake with lanterns.

It was the highlight of the Tanglung Festival and Fruit Fiesta organised by Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lau Weng San.

The festival kicked off with the presentation of a cheque for RM2,500 to Pusat Jagaan Kanak-kanak Siddharthan.

The children from the home sang several Chinese songs, and the crowd roared its approval of the choir comprising Indian children warbling in fluent Chinese. The audeince were next entertained by a lively lion dance.

The event was aimed at promoting community relations and goodwill, and attended by people of all backgrounds. Another goal was to encourage Malaysians to eat more fruit.

"We believe in a healthy lifestyle. We served rambutan, papaya, banana, mango, guava, and of course mooncakes for free," said Evelyn Gan, organising chairman of this year's festival.

The food served buffet-style drew long lines.

Hundreds of residents from surrounding areas of Taman Paramount, SEA Park and Section 22 in Petaling Jaya gathered at the basketball court in Taman Aman Park this evening Saturday September 13, 2008 to join in the celebration of Pesta Tanglung (lantern festival) cum Fruit Fiesta.

The event was organized by the State Assemblyman (ADUN) for Kampung Tunku, YB Lau Weng San in conjunction with the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival which fall on Sunday September 14, 2008.

According to a staff from ADUN office, the program started a bit late at 8.30 pm (instead of the usual 7.30 pm or earlier) due to the respect given for our Muslim brothers and sisters who are now fasting during the Ramadan month and the 7.30 time slot is closed to the breaking of fast.

The serving of local fruits was a welcome change and a departure from the usual menu of fried noodles/nasi briyani with curry chicken/fried chicken. The wide array of local fruits include papayas, mangoes, rambutans and guavas. I liked particulary the mangoes for its sweetness.

It was wonderful to see children and adults of different races enjoying the lion dance performance, helping themselves to the varieties of local fruits and taking part in the lantern walkabout. Such gathering help to foster the spirit of muhibbah (goodwill) and good neighbourliness among us.

There were also the presence of RELA and St John Ambulan personnel to take charge of their responsibilities. The successful event ended at about 10.30 pm.

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