雖說中秋每年一度，但今年中秋比以往特別——那天17:30仍未下班，連老闆也問我為甚麼20年沒在港過中秋也不早點走，究竟在香港過中秋的氣氛是怎樣，我忘得七七八八了！
(Actually many workplaces allow staff to leave early on the day, but I only received notification after lunch and didn’t have time to re-arrange my work schedule.)
（其實不少工作場所都容許員工中秋節提早下班，不過我當天午飯後才收到通知，想最新編排縮減工作也來不及了。）
After work I went to my brother’s place, and near his building all passers-by were looking towards the same direction with many lifting their cameras or mobile phones. When I turned my head around, it was obvious what the centre of attention was. The mid-autumn room was slowly rising through the gap between the buildings on both sides of the road, and became gradually brighter with its ascent. I spent a few minutes appreciating what I would normally take for granted!
下班後到胞弟家，在附近街道見到途人不約而同向同一方遠望，不少人還舉起相機和手機，回頭一望便看到當晚的主角——一輪皓月在兩旁大廈中間的縫裡緩緩升起，光芒四射而且愈來愈明亮，我也忍不住花幾分鐘駐足欣賞。
When the moon became the centre of attention
賞月和觀人
I haven’t spent mid-autumn festival with my brothers for many years, and this year there are two extra hosts of my nephew and niece. It would normally have been normal custom to play with lanterns that evening but there wasn’t time. Fortunately I had the chance two days beforehand with the kids. Each of us had a lantern in hand while hopping and running to the playground downstairs, and he was showing me excitedly which button to switch on the lights of the lantern and how to turn on the music. I felt as if I have gone back 20 years in time!
我已多年沒跟胞弟過中秋了，今年還有姪兒姪女陪伴，雖然那晚沒時間玩花燈，但中秋前兩天我也有到胞弟家，由姪兒帶我，兩人提著花燈，連跑帶跳到樓下的遊樂場去，他還教我按哪個鈕可亮燈、怎樣按鈕可播音樂，那時的我，童心再現，彷彿回到廿多年前！
A quick lesson
即場示範
I was quite tired when I was back home, but was kept away from the bed when I saw something eye-catching from the balcony. First there was a big red sky lantern drifting across the sky (which is in fact illegal in Hong Kong). Then I spotted two groups of teenagers sitting around ‘bonfires’ on the roof of a bridge! Well, they weren’t bonfires as most people in the world know it, but were actually the burning of wax which is a rather common ‘custom’ by Hong Kong’s youngsters. But it puzzled me how they chose this interesting location on the roof of the bridge and managed to climb up there! I finally found out the answer to the second question as the police and fire service came to investigate and order those youngsters to leave half an hour later. Those guys climbed down at where the ramp down to the street level made a bend and the roof thus low enough to reach. It reminded me of the discussion earlier this year on how to make better use of the spaces underneath footbridges and flyovers; those youngsters demonstrated how the roofs of footbridges can be utilised too!
那天回家後本已很累，但從露台望出去，卻有另一番景象吸引我，先有一顆紅色的孔明燈飄過（在香港放孔明燈是違法的），然後見到天橋頂居然聚集了兩班青年人玩「煲蠟」！煲蠟大概就是港版的放營火，也是中秋節小童和青少年的一種常見活動，本來見怪不怪，但選在橋頂煲蠟，及他們怎樣能爬上去，令我不得其解，直至大半小時後消防和警方到場查看究竟和清場時，才知道那些青年是利用上下天橋的斜道的拐彎處爬上去或爬下來。這不禁令我想起年初有人提倡要善用香港眾多天橋底的空間，這些青年便正好示範了橋頂的空間也如何可善加利用！
An interesting meeting place
與眾不同的煲蠟
There are some folk celebrations for the mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong, and since the day after mid-autumn festival was a bank holiday, my friend and I went to the district of Tai Hang to watch the famous fire dragon dance. It originated in 1880 when there was a deadly plague around the mid-autumn festival period in Tai Hang village. A village elder saw Buddha in his dream, and Buddha told him to perform a dragon dance with incense sticks all over its body as a way to drive the plague away. It worked and since then became a tradition of the people of Tai Hang as well as an attraction for Hong Kongers and tourists alike. The streets where the dragon would traverse were already packed with people one hour before the start with many properly equipped with photography gear, like the guy next to me with a ladder and three DSLR cameras capable of taking continuous shots at 60 frames per minute. That way he’ll be sure of capturing every moment of the fire dragon dance! The dragon dance was led by a few people waving ‘dragon balls’ of incense sticks arranged in spheres, and as the dragon head was chasing the dragon balls it dragged the rest of its body into varying patterns of motion like swivelling side by side or rippling up and down. Spots of orange lights from the incense sticks were flying everywhere, while the incessant drumming and clapping of gongs added to the atmosphere and served to direct the movement of the dragon. Every moment was filled with excitement.
中秋在香港有些民間風俗，趁中秋翌日是公眾假期，我和朋友便觀賞有名的大坑舞火龍。舞火龍起源於1880年，當年大坑村中秋時節瘟疫，據說菩薩報夢，說祇要舞動一條插滿香燭的龍便可驅除疫症，村民照著做果然奏效，自此便每年中秋節保持舞火龍的傳統。表演前一小時，舞龍沿路便擠滿了人，當中不乏裝備充足的攝影愛好者，我和朋友身旁的便帶備了摺疊梯和三部可每分鐘連拍60張照片的單鏡反光機，捕捉舞龍的每一刻！舞龍場面精彩不斷，帶領火龍的人不停舞動插滿一根根香的火球（龍珠），龍頭牽動龍身，做出各式各樣的扭動和起伏，越過不同的障礙，點點橙色火光在空中四處飛舞，配上喧鬧的鑼鼓聲，全場生氣盅然。
A big Chinese-style banner for the fire dragon
舞火龍的大牌坊
Parade of pretty girls
可愛的小妹妹巡遊
Thunderous music
鑼鼓喧天
A real professional!
夠專業！
Chasing the dragon ball
追逐著龍珠
A pit-stop for putting on fresh incense sticks
中途休息，重新插香燭
A big wave
飛騰中
Afterwards we went to the nearby Victoria Park for the lantern carnival. The most eye-catching display this year is a dome made up empty distilled water bottle, through which varying colours and patterns of light were shone. Every 15 minutes a special light show would be put on where the patterns would change in a rather dazzling speed accompanied by loud music with heavy beats. It was an interesting parallel with the fire dragon dance! There were also many giant lanterns and nostalgic displays around the park, but we didn’t have much time to see them all as the exhibits shut ½ hour after we arrived.
之後我倆到維多利亞公園的綵燈展，今年最吸引眼球的，是用蒸餾水瓶子砌成的半球形場館，入夜後會有不同顏色的燈光從瓶子射出，交織出多種圖案，而且每15分鐘會有一節強勁的音樂播放，圖案也隨之閃爍變幻，跟舞火龍時的點點燭光相映成趣！公園內也掛了不少巨形花燈和懷舊佈置，可惜我們到場後半小時便是展覽結束時間，所以看得很匆忙便走了。
Dazzling colours
千變萬化
Big animal lanterns
動物燈籠
Figurines from famous Cantonese operas
粵劇場景
This mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong has more than made up for what I’ve missed over the last 20 mid-autumn festivals abroad. Maybe next year the novelty factor will wane, but I’m sure that the public anticipation and preparation for this festival as well as the cosy warm feeling in the company of my closest relations will still be the same.
這個中秋節，讓我補足了離港廿年來中秋節所錯過的東西，也許明年一切不再感覺那麼新鮮，但大眾迎中秋的氣氛，及與至親的人團聚的溫馨，我相信一定不變。
(Actually many workplaces allow staff to leave early on the day, but I only received notification after lunch and didn’t have time to re-arrange my work schedule.)
（其實不少工作場所都容許員工中秋節提早下班，不過我當天午飯後才收到通知，想最新編排縮減工作也來不及了。）
After work I went to my brother’s place, and near his building all passers-by were looking towards the same direction with many lifting their cameras or mobile phones. When I turned my head around, it was obvious what the centre of attention was. The mid-autumn room was slowly rising through the gap between the buildings on both sides of the road, and became gradually brighter with its ascent. I spent a few minutes appreciating what I would normally take for granted!
下班後到胞弟家，在附近街道見到途人不約而同向同一方遠望，不少人還舉起相機和手機，回頭一望便看到當晚的主角——一輪皓月在兩旁大廈中間的縫裡緩緩升起，光芒四射而且愈來愈明亮，我也忍不住花幾分鐘駐足欣賞。
When the moon became the centre of attention
賞月和觀人
I haven’t spent mid-autumn festival with my brothers for many years, and this year there are two extra hosts of my nephew and niece. It would normally have been normal custom to play with lanterns that evening but there wasn’t time. Fortunately I had the chance two days beforehand with the kids. Each of us had a lantern in hand while hopping and running to the playground downstairs, and he was showing me excitedly which button to switch on the lights of the lantern and how to turn on the music. I felt as if I have gone back 20 years in time!
我已多年沒跟胞弟過中秋了，今年還有姪兒姪女陪伴，雖然那晚沒時間玩花燈，但中秋前兩天我也有到胞弟家，由姪兒帶我，兩人提著花燈，連跑帶跳到樓下的遊樂場去，他還教我按哪個鈕可亮燈、怎樣按鈕可播音樂，那時的我，童心再現，彷彿回到廿多年前！
A quick lesson
即場示範
I was quite tired when I was back home, but was kept away from the bed when I saw something eye-catching from the balcony. First there was a big red sky lantern drifting across the sky (which is in fact illegal in Hong Kong). Then I spotted two groups of teenagers sitting around ‘bonfires’ on the roof of a bridge! Well, they weren’t bonfires as most people in the world know it, but were actually the burning of wax which is a rather common ‘custom’ by Hong Kong’s youngsters. But it puzzled me how they chose this interesting location on the roof of the bridge and managed to climb up there! I finally found out the answer to the second question as the police and fire service came to investigate and order those youngsters to leave half an hour later. Those guys climbed down at where the ramp down to the street level made a bend and the roof thus low enough to reach. It reminded me of the discussion earlier this year on how to make better use of the spaces underneath footbridges and flyovers; those youngsters demonstrated how the roofs of footbridges can be utilised too!
那天回家後本已很累，但從露台望出去，卻有另一番景象吸引我，先有一顆紅色的孔明燈飄過（在香港放孔明燈是違法的），然後見到天橋頂居然聚集了兩班青年人玩「煲蠟」！煲蠟大概就是港版的放營火，也是中秋節小童和青少年的一種常見活動，本來見怪不怪，但選在橋頂煲蠟，及他們怎樣能爬上去，令我不得其解，直至大半小時後消防和警方到場查看究竟和清場時，才知道那些青年是利用上下天橋的斜道的拐彎處爬上去或爬下來。這不禁令我想起年初有人提倡要善用香港眾多天橋底的空間，這些青年便正好示範了橋頂的空間也如何可善加利用！
An interesting meeting place
與眾不同的煲蠟
There are some folk celebrations for the mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong, and since the day after mid-autumn festival was a bank holiday, my friend and I went to the district of Tai Hang to watch the famous fire dragon dance. It originated in 1880 when there was a deadly plague around the mid-autumn festival period in Tai Hang village. A village elder saw Buddha in his dream, and Buddha told him to perform a dragon dance with incense sticks all over its body as a way to drive the plague away. It worked and since then became a tradition of the people of Tai Hang as well as an attraction for Hong Kongers and tourists alike. The streets where the dragon would traverse were already packed with people one hour before the start with many properly equipped with photography gear, like the guy next to me with a ladder and three DSLR cameras capable of taking continuous shots at 60 frames per minute. That way he’ll be sure of capturing every moment of the fire dragon dance! The dragon dance was led by a few people waving ‘dragon balls’ of incense sticks arranged in spheres, and as the dragon head was chasing the dragon balls it dragged the rest of its body into varying patterns of motion like swivelling side by side or rippling up and down. Spots of orange lights from the incense sticks were flying everywhere, while the incessant drumming and clapping of gongs added to the atmosphere and served to direct the movement of the dragon. Every moment was filled with excitement.
中秋在香港有些民間風俗，趁中秋翌日是公眾假期，我和朋友便觀賞有名的大坑舞火龍。舞火龍起源於1880年，當年大坑村中秋時節瘟疫，據說菩薩報夢，說祇要舞動一條插滿香燭的龍便可驅除疫症，村民照著做果然奏效，自此便每年中秋節保持舞火龍的傳統。表演前一小時，舞龍沿路便擠滿了人，當中不乏裝備充足的攝影愛好者，我和朋友身旁的便帶備了摺疊梯和三部可每分鐘連拍60張照片的單鏡反光機，捕捉舞龍的每一刻！舞龍場面精彩不斷，帶領火龍的人不停舞動插滿一根根香的火球（龍珠），龍頭牽動龍身，做出各式各樣的扭動和起伏，越過不同的障礙，點點橙色火光在空中四處飛舞，配上喧鬧的鑼鼓聲，全場生氣盅然。
A big Chinese-style banner for the fire dragon
舞火龍的大牌坊
Parade of pretty girls
可愛的小妹妹巡遊
Thunderous music
鑼鼓喧天
A real professional!
夠專業！
Chasing the dragon ball
追逐著龍珠
A pit-stop for putting on fresh incense sticks
中途休息，重新插香燭
A big wave
飛騰中
Afterwards we went to the nearby Victoria Park for the lantern carnival. The most eye-catching display this year is a dome made up empty distilled water bottle, through which varying colours and patterns of light were shone. Every 15 minutes a special light show would be put on where the patterns would change in a rather dazzling speed accompanied by loud music with heavy beats. It was an interesting parallel with the fire dragon dance! There were also many giant lanterns and nostalgic displays around the park, but we didn’t have much time to see them all as the exhibits shut ½ hour after we arrived.
之後我倆到維多利亞公園的綵燈展，今年最吸引眼球的，是用蒸餾水瓶子砌成的半球形場館，入夜後會有不同顏色的燈光從瓶子射出，交織出多種圖案，而且每15分鐘會有一節強勁的音樂播放，圖案也隨之閃爍變幻，跟舞火龍時的點點燭光相映成趣！公園內也掛了不少巨形花燈和懷舊佈置，可惜我們到場後半小時便是展覽結束時間，所以看得很匆忙便走了。
Dazzling colours
千變萬化
Big animal lanterns
動物燈籠
Figurines from famous Cantonese operas
粵劇場景
This mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong has more than made up for what I’ve missed over the last 20 mid-autumn festivals abroad. Maybe next year the novelty factor will wane, but I’m sure that the public anticipation and preparation for this festival as well as the cosy warm feeling in the company of my closest relations will still be the same.
這個中秋節，讓我補足了離港廿年來中秋節所錯過的東西，也許明年一切不再感覺那麼新鮮，但大眾迎中秋的氣氛，及與至親的人團聚的溫馨，我相信一定不變。
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