It’s that time of year again, when the blistering Summer of Guangzhou changes into the cooler season of Autumn. Green leaves start changing into orange tones and with that comes our annual Mid-Autumn Festival. The time where we express gratitude for the weather, pray for peace in our country and for the harvest. A variety of performances, intertwining Chinese tradition with western touches, and with each year, it keeps getting bigger and better.

This year’s festival at Huamei allowed us to witness everything from song, drama, riddles right through to film. It was a great chance for students to honour the traditions and showcase their English abilities when taking to the stage in front of their peers.

The event was hosted by Mr Saleen and Mr McSwain. Grade one performed ‘The Happy Moon Festival’, Grade two sang a song called ‘The Round Moon’. Next up, we had the song ‘The Lantern’ sang by our Grade three students, followed swiftly by Grade four class one and two, who entertained the audience with a selection of riddles. Grade four (class three and four) performed the infamous Little Red Riding Hood in play form, integrating delicious mooncakes amongst their act. The story ‘Mr Donguo and the Wolf’ was retold by Grade five, class one, then Grade five classes two and three kept the audience entertained with the play ‘Houyi Shoot the Sun’. Our event was brought to a close by classes one and two of Grade six; they showcased their Year of the Rabbit Lanterns and some brain-teasing Chinese riddles.

Teacher Mr Paul from Grade six (classes one and two) said: ‘From each performance you could see all the hard work that went into each one, and I thought the riddles from my class were thought-provoking and really captivated the audience’.

We celebrated this festival as one and it brought everybody together and reminded us that here at Huamei, the importance of Chinese tradition in our modern time. It can be easy to let traditions slip by in our fast-moving times; events like these give us the chance to celebrate the older times that can get lost. We are sure next year, will be full of surprises.

So, what’s next? We will now start the count down for our grand sport’s day on November 2nd. Who’s ready for it?