Mid-Autumn Festival of Love

Mid-Autumn Festival is the time when all children look forward to gathering around the moon-watching tray, excitedly surrounded by star lanterns, in the bustling sound of frog drums, with moon cakes smelling of sticky rice… This is also an opportunity for adults to show their love, care and concern for children. Another new moon season is another season of love, sharing…

Currently, the Center for Social Protection and Work is taking care of over 90 people who are elderly people living alone and without support, orphans, and children in especially difficult circumstances. As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the Center's staff are busy preparing for the "full moon festival". Pairs of moon cakes, new clothes, a few traditional toys, and dance and singing practices are meticulously prepared as a way to send love to the orphaned children.

"Mid-Autumn Festival is a family reunion festival. It is an occasion for relatives to reunite and show filial piety to parents and love for children. Even though there are no blood relatives around, every year, Mid-Autumn Festival always comes earlier for those being cared for at the center, especially the children, thanks to the care and sharing of the community.

"As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, many organizations and individuals come to the center to visit, give gifts, and coordinate camping and cultural and artistic activities for the children. Therefore, every Mid-Autumn Festival, the children here can gather together to enjoy the food in the warmest and most joyful atmosphere," said Mr. Hoang Van Trung, Director of the Center for Social Protection and Work.

In that bustling atmosphere, the children being cared for here temporarily forget their sad childhood stories, to save all their excitement, to prepare for the exciting activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Thuc is a young girl being cared for at the Center. Thuc came here because her mother is serving a prison sentence. In the second year of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with her siblings in the special shared house, Thuc is no longer reserved or lonely. "My siblings, friends and I at the Center are actively practicing the performances to prepare for the performance on Mid-Autumn Festival night. I really look forward to that day, to wear sparkling dresses, to dance and sing, to watch the moon together, and to enjoy the feast..." - Thuc smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Mid-Autumn Festival of Love — Mid-Autumn Festival performance by children of the Provincial Center for Social Protection and Work.

Although the weather is not favorable these days due to heavy rain, the preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival are still being carried out urgently by the Youth Union at all levels in Kim Son district. Like many other localities, children in Kim Trung commune are also actively preparing the most outstanding performances to compete in the "Mid-Autumn Festival" which will be held at the Central Cultural House of the commune on the evening of the 14th day of the 8th lunar month. In all 6 cultural houses of villages and hamlets in the commune, everywhere is bustling with the sounds of frog drums, command whistles and familiar commands. The coastal countryside is more exciting and vibrant with the bustling sounds and colors of lanterns, lanterns, etc.

Comrade Pham Thi Thuy, Secretary of the Kim Trung Commune Youth Union, said: Currently, the whole commune has 1,500 children from 1 to 15 years old. The Mid-Autumn Festival is an opportunity for each family and community to show their love to their children, so that they can experience a magical moon season. For Kim Trung Commune, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, camping will be organized at the cultural houses of the hamlets. The commune's Youth Union will coordinate with the school to assign tasks to teachers of 3 levels to participate in the camp for the children in the hamlets; instructing the children to make lanterns. During the camping day, the hamlets will also have art programs, perform rituals and award prizes to excellent students, students in difficult circumstances... then, they will carry lanterns around the hamlet. Particularly on the evening of the 14th day of the 8th lunar month, the commune's Youth Union will organize a "Full Moon Festival Night" at the commune's Central Cultural House. During the "full moon festival", children will participate in cultural and artistic activities, listen to stories about Cuoi and Hang and participate in other exciting folk games.

In order to create a useful and interesting playground for children during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Standing Committee of Kim Son District Youth Union has coordinated with the Department of Education; the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of the district to develop an inter-sectoral plan to direct the Youth Unions of communes and towns to coordinate with the Board of Directors of kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools to develop a plan to organize Mid-Autumn Festival activities for children in the district.

The Standing Committee of the District Youth Union also directed the District Children's House to develop a plan and organize rehearsals to organize the Mid-Autumn Festival on the evening of the 14th day of the 8th lunar month, with contents such as: Giving gifts, performing arts. In the program, children will meet Cuoi and Hang through the Mid-Autumn Festival scene. Through that, children will understand more about the origin and meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, about the traditional customs of the nation.

Comrade Vu Thi Ben, Deputy Secretary of Kim Son District Youth Union, said: In addition to organizing cultural activities for children during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Standing Committee of Kim Son District Youth Union also pays special attention to orphans and children in especially difficult circumstances through specific activities, so that all children can celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival happily and warmly.

In particular, the District Youth Union Standing Committee also learns about the circumstances of each child to call on and mobilize companies, businesses, and philanthropists to receive regular support so that the children have more motivation to overcome difficulties and confidently go to school.

In our province, there are about 3 thousand children in special circumstances such as orphans, abandoned children; disabled children, children infected with HIV/AIDS; children with serious illnesses or illnesses requiring long-term treatment from poor or near-poor households...

On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Provincial Youth Union and the Department of Education and Training have also developed a plan and issued documents guiding units and localities to pay attention to directing and organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival for children in a safe, economical and healthy manner through activities such as arts, sports, folk games, full moon festivals... suitable to the actual conditions of each place.

In particular, poor children and children in difficult circumstances always receive the attention of provincial leaders, departments, branches, organizations and kind-hearted people. Gifts given directly to them, cultural programs in which they are the main actors... have contributed to bringing them a warm, full and happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

Dao Hang - Minh Quang

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