BAGUIO CITY - Hundreds of Filipino-Chinese residents, traders, and local officials from this mountain resort city and nearby Benguet province gathered at the Hotel Supreme Saturday evening to celebrate the mid-autumn Moon Festival with the hope of continued prosperity and peace among them. Peter Ng, president of the Baguio Filipino-Chinese Cantonese Association, said the positive attitude of the people towards prosperity and progress as well as peace will help in empowering them to strive to be productive citizens not only of the city but also the region and the country as well. The Moon Festival is being celebrated by the Chinese on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar when the moon is at its fullest as part of thanksgiving to their success.
According to Ng, the Moon Festival or Lantern Festival is the second most important day in the Chinese lunar calendar which is focused towards maternal bonding and family reunion. The ancient Chinese believe the moon was at its brightest and roundest on the aforesaid day and it was the best day of the year to enjoy the moon's beauty. The festival is celebrated at a time when the air is cool and crisp and grain crops and fruits are ripening, thus, the people celebrate it in a happy anticipation of being richly rewarded for their hard work. City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan pointed out based on history, that the Chinese and the Cordillerans have similarities in terms of cultural practices and rituals performed for various purposes but the main purpose of such practices is geared towards unity and reunion to strengthen their friendships and bonding that will help them achieve great heights in their respective endeavours. He hailed the Filipino-Chinese community in the city for preserving and protecting their culture and traditions so that the same will be passed on to the present and future generations so that ''our children will be aware of the importance of knowing one's origin.''
For his part, Benguet Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan claimed that while there are different versions of the history of the Moon Festival, the bottom line is that Chinese and Filipinos continuously bond together to celebrate progress and prosperity that has been instrumental in determining the present state of development of Benguet over the past several decades. Fongwan, who has a Chinese ancestry, cited it is best for the Filipino-Chinese community to continue the tradition of their ancestors that will help strengthen their linkage with their Filipino counterparts and become a progressive and prosperous community in the future.
On the other hand, Domogan explained that the Moon Festival also serves as an avenue where Filipinos and Chinese living in the city and Benguet to pray for the souls of those who were killed in the tragic Quirino Grandstand hostage crisis that led to the untimely demise of eight Hong Kong nationals and even their hostage-taker so that their relatives and family members will see the sincerity of the Filipinos in apologizing for the untoward incident.
