THE Chinese Association of Woking is to co-host with the Woking Chinese School the Mid-Autumn Festival at St John the Baptist School tomorrow (Saturday, October 14). The celebration will run from 1.30pm to 4pm.

The festival, which dates back more than 3,000 years, is the second-biggest festival for the Chinese community after Chinese New Year and is recognised as an opportunity for families to get together. 

It is also called the Moon Festival, as it is celebrated when the moon is believed to be at its biggest and fullest.

The festival symbolises family reunion and all families appreciate the moon in the evening because it is the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest.

Gathering, thanksgiving and praying are the concepts fundamental to the festival.

During the festival, lanterns of all sizes and shapes – beacons that symbolise lighting people’s path to prosperity and good fortune – are carried and displayed.

Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean, egg yolk, meat or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during the festival.

Performances, with an estimated 150 to 200 participants, will begin at 2pm. There will be a dragon dance, cultural acts and a special meal, including mooncakes, fruit and Chinese snacks, plus games and a raffle draw. 

There will be car parking space in the playground at the back of the school.