Fay hopes members of Leeton’s vibrant multicultural community will enjoy a new festival set to welcome in the spring and bring families from all backgrounds together. Photo: Supplied.
Leeton’s Faez (Fay) Ebrah hopes the town’s new Mooncake Festival will give all the families in its multicultural society something beautiful to celebrate this spring.
“Since moving here six years ago I have noticed how beautiful spring is. If Canberra can have Floriade then I think we should have a spring festival too so that families can be encouraged to go outside and enjoy it together.”
The Mooncake Festival is being held on Saturday 21 September between 4 and 8 pm at Mountford Park and is a free event offering music, live performance, lantern making, food stalls and cultural festivities.
The event will be opened by the lion dancers from Jin Wu Koon, one of Australia’s oldest dance troupes, founded in Sydney’s Chinatown in 1977.
Fay, 27, is the motivator behind the event and since emigrating from Malaysia he has become an active community member, working with the Leeton Rainbow Pride Collective to stage the first LGBTIQ festival in spring last year.
“Growing up in Malaysia I was seeing different cultural magic and it was exciting. I love going to events and I’m really interested in doing events, it is a great way to have people come together.
“When I first came to Leeton there were activities here, but because of COVID lots of things stalled or got cancelled.
“When lockdown ended I was hoping I could help contribute to creating more events because I really love them and I want to help other people find the magic in them too,” he said.
Observed extensively in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, the Mid-Autumn Festival, as it is more commonly known, takes place on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, generally falling in mid-September or early October.
The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox holds significance across cultures worldwide. Known as the Harvest Moon, it historically illuminated the night for farmers tending their fields. In numerous Asian nations, this full moon, often considered the year’s brightest, marks the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Celebrations traditionally encompass family reunions, consuming ceremonial foods and adorning surroundings with vibrant lantern displays.
The Leeton Shire Council supported the Mooncake Festival with a $2000 grant which helped secure Sydney’s renowned Lion Dancers who will open the event. Pictured are Michelle Evans, Cr Michael Kidd, Diane Harrison, Denise McGrath, Fay & Mayor Cr Tony Reneker. Photo: Supplied.
“I remember the mooncake festival. It changes according to countries and was mostly called the Mid-Autumn Festival. Malaysia’s climate is tropical; we call it Mooncake Festival instead.
“Whilst in Korea it is called Chuseok or Hangawi and in Japan it’s called Tsukimi. It is all about family and it’s about gathering around with them and appreciating the moonlight while eating mooncakes.”
What is a mooncake?
A deliciously decadent pastry with a thick skin and sweet or savoury filling which often would contain a whole salted egg yolk in the centre to symbolise the full moon. Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on the top consisting of Chinese characters for longevity or harmony.
Fay said he hoped the event would give some members of the community reminders of their home countries.
“I hope that anyone feeling homesick for their country might feel less homesick after enjoying the festival,” he said.
“It will be nice if we manage to give the immigrants who live here a taste of home while bringing something new to the community.
“There are many different migrant groups here – people from Thailand, Philippines, China and the Middle East. They are all lovely people and I hope that they all enjoy this event and also that it helps put Leeton on the map.”
Leeton’s Rotary Club and the local art society have been busy creating colourful lanterns that will light up the night at Mountford Park.
“They have been amazing,” said Fay. “I can’t wait to hang them and I’m really looking forward to showing what Leeton has to offer and what the local community can offer visitors.”
The event has been supported by the Leeton Shire Council who awarded organisers $2000 to go towards the festival.
Cr Krystal Maytom said council commended the Leeton Rainbow Pride Collective and was proud to support their efforts in bringing new multicultural events to Leeton Shire.
“The Mooncake Festival will not only help our local Asian population feel valued through an event that is traditionally celebrated annually in their homeland but also enable the Leeton community as a whole to come together in a blend of cultures to promote inclusion, acceptance and harmony,” she said.
You can find out more about the event by visiting the Leeton Mooncake Festival website or follow it on Facebook.
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