Next to the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, the Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival (ZhÅngqiÅ« Jié in Mandarin and Tiong Chew Chue in Hokkien) is the second most important festival in Chinese tradition with families and close friends gathering for reunions.
In China’s southern Fujian province, where most ethnic Chinese in the Philippines trace their roots, a traditional dice game called pua tiong chiuw was invented three centuries ago by the great Ming Dynasty hero General Zheng Cheng-gong with ge-pya or mooncakes of different sizes as the prizes. General Zheng invented this exciting dice game in Xiamen City of Fujian province to keep his soldiers from being homesick during the annual Moon Festival, he led his soldiers to drive Dutch colonizers out of Taiwan.
Another legend on the Moon Festival was the use of mooncakes to pass on secret messages on a rebellion plot by Chinese nationalists, which successfully overthrew the Mongols’ Yuan Dynasty.
The Moon Festival is celebrated as a harvest festival for thanksgiving since ancient times on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar with the most beautiful full moon at night, this usually corresponds to late September to early October in the Western Gregorian calendar with full moon at night and this 2017 the Moon Festival fell on the night of Oct. 4. It was also celebrated worldwide, especially in Asian societies like China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and other places.
To express gratitude and appreciation to the media for important positive role in Philippine economic and social development, and to also hoping to share a unique festive Chinese tradition as part of the rich multi-cultural Filipino national life, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) hosted its first ever Moon Festival Luncheon for the media on Sept.30 at its headquarters on the 7th floor of Federation Center, Muelle de Binondo, Manila.
The FFCCCII was established in 1954 for the main purposes of encouraging the Philippines’ ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs nationwide not only to help inclusive and dynamic national economic growth, but also to continue the Chinese community’s centuries-old tradition of philanthropic or socio-civic endeavors such as the construction and donations of public school buildings for barrios and other disadvantaged communities, to support the Filipino Chinese volunteer fire brigades which assist fire and other disaster victims of all socio-economic backgrounds, and assist other civic causes. The FFCCCII is headed by president Domingo Yap and its chairman emeritus Dr. Lucio C. Tan.