SFCA: Make this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration a low-key affair amid Covid-19 pandemic

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Datuk Richard Wee

KUCHING (Sept 19): The Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations (SFCA) has urged the Chinese community to make this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration a low-key affair amid the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Its president Datuk Richard Wee said they had called on the Chinese community to have their respective family reunion and mark the festival on a smaller scale.

“We have urged the community that any get-together activities should be confined to within the family members.

“The celebration will just be the giving of mooncake to each other among family members, relatives, friends, colleagues and business associates,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post here today.

He was asked to comment on whether the Chinese community should avoid opting for dine-in during this Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept 21 this year, even though the authorities have allowed dine-in from tomorrow (Sept 20).

Wee said SFCA will not be having its usual annual celebration such as organising the mooncake-making competition and lantern design competition this year.

“Although the standard operating procedure (SOP) has been reviewed and dine-in is now allowed, I think it will be a while before the general public return to the previous normal.

“Having said that, the review is welcomed as the food and beverage (F&B) sector has suffered,” he said.

In light of the revision of the SOP, he called upon all operators of the F&B sector including restaurant and all food stall owners to co-operate with the authorities concerned by strictly adhering to the revised SOP.

He said they must ensure that everyone including the workers and patrons are all fully vaccinated before they are allowed to work or patronise the premises.

Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) announced on Friday that dine-in will be allowed for fully vaccinated customers, business operators and workers from tomorrow.

Premises must also be properly ventilated according to the standard set by SDMC.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by the Chinese across the globe.

It is the second-most important holiday after Chinese New Year with a history dating back over 3,000 years, when the Emperor of China worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar with a full moon at night. The Mid-autumn festival is based on the legend of Chang’ E, the moon goddess.

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

Locally, children accompanied by adults carry around lanterns on the night of the festival to mark the occasion.