5,000 sky lanterns...a glimpse into heaven...

I had a wonderful time visiting Josie's classroom to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.   Everyone seem to enjoy their chocolate covered fortune cookies and coloring their moon cake pages.  

Later Friday evening we went downtown to participate in the "Lights in the Night" for ArtPrize 2012. Picture over 5,000 sky lanterns being launched simultaneously.  We got to the park early to pick a spot and enjoy the scenery along the grand river.


It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever participated in.

Josie kept saying this might be what heaven looks like.  

I couldn't agree more. 

Mid-Autumn Festival - Moon Festival

For the last few years, I've gone into Josie's preschool or elementary school to share a lesson plan on the Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival.  

This year's festival begins September 30th and I will be stopping by her 1st grade classroom for a a brief lesson Friday afternoon. To better understand the holiday, think of it as a mix of a harvest celebration as well as a culinary celebration all mixed together as a family reunion. There are also several myths which you can explore further here.   Many of my adoptive friends describe it as a "Chinese Thanksgiving" which is how I'm going to explain it during our anticipatory set to kick off the lesson.  

 One of the most important traditions during this celebration is the giving and eating of moon cakes.


This delicacy is definitely an acquired taste, so I'll be bringing chocolate covered fortune cookies for our classroom snack.

As you can imagine, Josie is very excited to share her cultural traditions with her new classmates.

Wishing you a Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!