Nights of Many Lanterns : For Children, Moon Festival Sheds Light on Vietnamese Culture

As the dragons swirled and pranced near tiny Terry Nguyen, 3, she screamed and ran for cover while her mother tried to catch her.

This was her first experience with the Vietnamese Moon Festival, a two-day event that will continue today at Garden Grove Park.

“It is great,” said Quong Quang, 20, who with four friends came to experience the festivities.

More than 4,000 people had attended by mid-day Saturday despite the heat. Booths filled with food, games, music tapes, balloons, portraits, children’s rides and colorful lanterns dotted the two-acre area where the festival took place.

“The reason you see so many lanterns is that they are used in the evening during the full moon,” said Phuong Nguyen, 37, of Westminster. “All the children have them . . . it’s a beautiful sight.”

Tet Trung Thu, the Moon Festival, is considered the greatest festival for children during the year and occurs at mid-autumn of the lunar calendar, said Nguyen, a member of the Nang Moi Youth Organization which organized the activities. “We just had a full moon, that’s when the festival happens.”

Huy Hoang, 19, a member of the dance troupe called Quang Trung Dai De, said he practices the dragon dance--which symbolizes good luck and good fortune--with his friends year-round and considers the Moon Festival important for children.

“Many of the very young children will forget about their Vietnamese roots,” he said. “But this festival helps them learn their culture.”

Hoang said he came from Vietnam and appreciates his culture, but realizes many youths will never know their homeland. So he and two dozen others from various areas in the Southland meet every Friday to practice folk dances.

“The children have to know their culture,” Hoang said. “It will give them pride in themselves when they grow older.”

Another participant in the festival, Thuy-Tien Pham, 23, organizes a children’s beauty contest where kids of any age are allowed to dance, sing or speak on any topic.

“It allows them the opportunity to take pride in their culture,” Pham said of the beauty contest, which had 54 participants. “They can express their feelings about anything in any way they feel.”

Dung Nguyen, 18, said he realizes every year he comes to the festival how important it is for children. “When night comes and all the children are holding lanterns, it is a really beautiful thing to see,” he said.

As thousands of children crowded near the stage to receive a free bag full of sweets, Lin Phap, 4, patiently sat on the edge of the stage in a pink dress and pink bonnet looking intently at all the children. Despite all of the noise and commotion, she appeared to be in a trance.

“She has never seen so many Vietnamese children at one time,” said her father, Tran Phap, 32, of Rosemead. “She is wondering where they all come from.”

Today is the final day of the festival, which begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Admission is free to all of today’s events, which include Moon songs, karaoke contests, a martial-arts exhibition and several dance acts. Garden Grove Park is at 9301 Westminster Ave. in Garden Grove. For more information call (714) 895-6969.