The Mid-Autumn, Moon Cake or Lantern Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Chinese Lunar New Year). It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar). In 2007 it was celebrated on the night before full moon (September 25).
Farmers celebrate the end of the farming year and an abundant harvesting season. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. The children would go out at night carrying bright lanterns.2 Girls with lanterns in cold Mainland China
In locations such as Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong it is also known as the Mooncake or Lantern Festival. Several interesting legends are connected with this festival but, basically, the mooncakes signify unity and a cycle completed.
Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs.

Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.
Nowadays moon cakes with Baileys, Champagne, Truffles, Marzipan and even Durian fillings are offered by renowned 5 star Hotels and sold in stalls all over in town. It seams to be a big competition who can bake the best and most interesting mooncake.
Also the lanterns have changed. In ancient times they were fairly simple made of paper, for only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones; in modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. For example, lanterns are now made of plastic and in shapes of animals.
Some of the displayed "lanterns" were up to 12m high.

Liondance performance at Erich's

Following this old tradition Erich held his official opening ceremony for the new Backstube and the extended Wuerstelstand on Sunday 23. September with a huge crowd of his friends, customers and passer-bys cheering together with the cymbals and drums of the lion dance group.
You may like it or not this sometimes very annoying noise of the cymbals and gong following the moves of the lion, however it's supposed to ward off bad-spirits and bring good luck to both ventures.


Since Erich is the proud sponsor of one lion with the name "Wuerstelstand", it was "his" lion who did the performance. Watch the name around the lion's neck.
Check out the photos of the event:
See the lion's name: Wuerstelstand"









If you want to see more photos click this photo to connect to our web album

Lion Dance @ Wuerstelstand

Next for the lions is the Backstube

After a break to ease human traffic congestion and allow other people to watch the spectacle the lion dancer group assembles in front of the Backstube. Immediately people were trying to get best spot for viewing the dance performance.




The lion sniffing around the offerings, vegetable and fruits. To finally swallow it and spit out the shell again.





Linda, Erich's successful baker and business partner, enjoying the dance with her son.


Another rousing applause ended the lion dance at the Backstube.
The audience was wishing Erich continuous good luck and success in his business. However it's not all about luck there's also a huge portion of very hard work and long business hours needed to be as successful as Erich and his team. Congratulations from our Stammtisch!

If you wish to see all photos of this event, click the photo below

Lion Dance @ Backstube

LION DANCE

The Chinese Lion Dance goes back some one thousand years. The first record of the performance of an early form of the Lion Dance dates to the early Ch’in and Han Dynasties (Third Century B.C.)
If well-performed, the lion dance is believed to bring luck and happiness.
The lions express joy and happiness. The busiest time for the lion dancers is traditionally Chinese New Year. From the fourth day to the fifteenth of the New Year, lion dance groups would tour from village to village in traditional China.
The Lion Dance also plays an important role in the consecration of temples and other building, at business openings, planting and harvest times, official celebrations, and religious rites.
During these ceremonies for opening of new businesses Lion dancers will visit the store front of the business to "choy chang" (採青 lit. picking the greens). The business would tie a red envelope filled with money to a head of lettuce and hang it high above the front door. The lion will approach the lettuce like a curious cat, consume the lettuce and spit out the leaves but not the money. The lion dance is supposed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the dancers receive the money as reward. Other types of "greens" (青) may also be used to challenge the troupe, for instance using oranges. The orange will be pealed and laid out as a chinese characters. People are trying to read the meaning and usually play the figures the “read” in lotteries hoping to win the big price.

Lion Dance: Bringing luck and happiness (some historical facts)

The lion dance is an important tradition in China. Usually the dance is part of festivities like Chinese New Year, the openings of restaurants and weddings. If well-performed, the lion dance is believed to bring luck and happiness.

Although lions are not native in China, they came to this country via the famous Silk Road. Rulers in what is today Iran and Afghanistan sent lions to Chinese emperors as gifts in order to get the right to trade with Silk Road merchants. The lion dance dates back to the Han Dynasty (205 B.C. to 220 A.D in China) and during the Tang Dynasty (716-907 A.D.) it was at its peak. It was particularly performed during religious festivals. The lion dance was not only introduced in China, but also in Korea and Taiwan, where lions are not native as well. The dances are not exactly the same in these countries, but the symbolism is quite similar.

The lion is enacted by two dancers. One handles the head, made out of strong but light materials like paper-mache and bamboo, the other plays the body and the tail under a cloth that is attached to the head. The 'animal' is accompanied by three musicians, playing a large drum, cymbals and a gong. A Little Buddha teases it with a fan or a giant ball. The head dancer can move the lion's eyes, mouth and ears for expression of moods.
The lion dance combines art, history and kung fu moves. Often the performers are kung fu practitioners. Every kind of move has a specific musical rhythm. The music follows the moves of the lion: the drum follows the lion, the cymbals and the gong follow the drum player.

Quite often people observing the dances think that they are looking at dragons. The main difference between lion dance and dragon dance is that the latter is performed with more people than two.

The Lion and the 'nien'

For Chinese people the lion is a holy animal (how right they are!). That is why lions play an important role in Chinese mythology. In China lions and people can be friends.
Probably the most common historical reference to Chinese Lion Dance is the story of Nian (年).

A long time ago a strange creature appeared in China and horrified and ate men and animals. The fast and fierce creature was called 'nien' (or 'nian'), which sounds like the Chinese word for 'year'. Neither the fox nor the tiger could fight the 'nien' effectively and in despair the people asked the lion for help. The lion shook his mane, rushed towards the creature and wounded it. The nien hurried away with the tail between its legs. But it announced to return for taking revenge.
A year later the nien did return. This time the lion couldn't help the people. He was too busy with guarding the emperor's gate. So the villagers decided to do the job themselves. Out of bamboo and cloth they produced an image of the lion. Two men crawled inside it and approached the nien. The 'lion' pranced and roared and the monster fled away again. This is the reason why on the eve of the Chinese New Year, lions always dance. They are frightening evil away for yet another year.

Hari Raya Tropa: A day to remember

18. September a new S’pore Holiday:
HARI RAYA TROPA DAY
The day King Harald is leaving S’pore.
Officially declared by the President.
A sad Harald
I am very sure there’s no need to explain who this fella is. Recent polls by Singapore Tourism Board show that 90% of Chinatown visitors have visited Erich’s Wuerstelstand and met the King or at least heard his sound voice when passing. You can’t miss it.
A very sad day for Singapore and Wuerstelstand:
King Harald is stepping down from his throne. He will be leaving S'pore for higher honors which is very disappointing as there is only one more influential "Steirermen"...

"Steirermens are very good"

...left outside Austria, our one and only 'Kindergarten Cop' Arnold, the Ruler of California. King Harald was supposed to fill in Arnie's footsteps in this part of the world. That was part of their master plan to have a world ruled and influenced by "Steirermen" (Wikipedia:" a rare hill tribe from Steiermark/Styria, one of the 9 Austrian federal states;
Harald in 20 years (computer animation)
Hilltribe
.....famous for Arnold Schwarzenegger, King Harald, Kuerbiskern Oel (pumpkin kernel oil)- sort of eatable engine oil and Schilcher Wine - sort of drinkable vinegar). However Harald had to give up his plans to rule Singapore and SEA after an urgent call from his local governor to become King of Lassing (link: unfortunately in German only) an endangered species of 1,852 left only.
Harald’s first priority assignment is to increase headcount to assure the survival of the tribe. His first step towards this goal is to relax the immigration rules and bring in “fresh” –I doubt it, but never try never know- blood (= foreign talent = wife) from Asian countries. To really be successful in his task I suggest he also brings in Lyn’s pretty daughter. It will be a hard time for those staying back in S'pore (@Wuerstelstand) without his humorous, funky mentality, loud and sound voice and his striking sayings: "Stupid Kangaroos", "Greetings from Hollywood" , etc.
Watch sample:


His exit will most likely cause an economic impact for local businesses a serious plunge in revenues for APB (Tiger, Erdinger), Erich's Wuerstelstand, Schneeschaufler- a coffee shop close to Erich’s (his secret hideout), Casablanca (Karaoke Bar), OT and Durex.

The Chinatown Trishaw Tours have already announced to offer a new tour – “Harry’s trail, off the beaten tracks” which will stop at Harald’s favorite hideouts and includes free flow of Tiger and 1 set of sausages.

A person most disappointed by his exodus will be his secret crush 'Helen' ("a face says more than 1000 words"- picture taken after she heard the news) but we all will try to comfort her in these difficult times.

Despite all the sadness we will always remember him and I think there is even a slight chance for his return when he finds out “there are no kangaroos in Austria" and this discovery will most probably upset him too much to stay there!
Have a great and successful future back in Steiermark.
Chinatown will not be the same anymore.

“So you think you can sing”

As mentioned below the night ended in Haralds favourite Bar: Casablanca (Hotel Le Meridien). Where he used to hide rehearsing for next seasons reality “So you think you can sing” and he forced us as well to do so. Maybe one of us will make it. We tried very hard. But before we had to convince other guests that rehearsing our English songs was way more important than their Chinese Songs. It took a while until the Microphones were ours.
King Harald with some sweet ex colleges.

I'm not telling what time the night ended but it was already easy to get Taxis......