D3810 Mid-Autumn Mooncake Fellowship

Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant was the venue as almost 600 Rotarians from throughout our Rotary District gathered to celebrate the 22nd Annual Chinese Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival last Friday night, Sept. 16th. Many of us were dressed in traditional Mandarin frog-buttoned Cheongsam or Qipao, a “Tang” fashion style that dates back as early as the late Ch’ing dynasty. Almost all those not wearing a Chinese costume were dressed in red color shirts. I asked why red and was informed that, in Chinese culture, “Red corresponds with fire and symbolizes good fortune and joy. Red is found everywhere during Chinese New Year and other holidays and family gatherings. Red is strictly forbidden at funerals as it is a traditionally symbolic color of happiness.” Wow, so apparently it is the Chinese equivalent of our “Red Letter” feast or celebration days on the Christian church calendar!

I do not know why I am still so American in my timeliness habits after almost eight years here. The event announcements said it would start at 5:30, so I risked being there at six. Once again, I was one of the first ten people in the room, set for more than 600 guests. We did not start until 8:00 p.m. so, naturally, many of us were famished by the time our supper was served. Banquet food usually is not very good, but Golden Bay always seems to be an exception. We had good food and, for the most part, it was served hot. As a person with no small amount of Food & Beverage experience, I think that serving food hot and fresh an hour and a half after scheduled time is a minor miracle, in and of itself.

During dinner, we were entertained by young dancers, who are required to perform in partial exchange for the scholarships provided by host club, RC Chinatown. Also during dinner, some of the participants who finished their dinner early began the popular line dances, joined by more and more dance lovers.

After dinner, tables were cleared and prizes distributed to “Lauriat tables” (twenty persons each) to begin the traditional Chinese Mooncake Festival Dice Game. The entry price covered the cost of the game, which is pure chance rolls of six dice, thrown in turn around the table. Six levels of prizes ranged from cans of soda to a microwave oven at each table. The first person in the entire room to throw six dice with all fours won a 40" LCD television, contributed by DG Ernesto Yuyek.

Hosted as always by RC Chinatown, thirty-two clubs were Major Co-host Sponsors, including our own RC Manila. An additional twelve clubs were Minor Co-host Sponsors. Major sponsor clubs commit to buying ten seats and minor clubs commit to buying a half table. Our club usually raises additional money beyond dues to be sponsors in such events. Typically, the seats are offered to those who are expected to be there, such as the club president and district officers from the club. Generally, remaining seats are offered to Directors and Officers in recognition of their time and service to the club. Sometimes tickets are offered to Star Rotarians, to introduce them to fellowship beyond the club. Additional seats can be purchased by all Rotarians through the club secretariat. Our club is not always a sponsor of district events, but our members are always welcome to purchase tickets to any event they would like to attend. Of course, none of us should ever have any expectation that our tickets are free to us, paid by the club.

This year our club was represented by IPDG Obet Pagdanganan, DGN Rudy Bediones and spouse Sharon, COS Cesar Ubaldo, SDG Frank Evaristo, ACOS/Dir. Albert Alday, Sec. Ning Lopez, SAA Lance Masters, Star Rtn. Karl Leung and Rtn. Emyl Eugenio.

Upcoming District events, of which our club may or may not be a sponsor, include the following:

District Governor’s Challenge Bowling Tournament: Oct 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30.

District “On to Atlanta” RI Convention Kick-Off, Oct 3

District Oktoberfest, Oct 14 (Different from our club celebration)

District Billiard Competition, Oct 22

District Halloween Party, Oct 29

District End Polio Event, Open Ballroom Competition, Nov 26.

You are encouraged to participate in Rotarian fellowships beyond those of our club. Meet Rotarians from other clubs and enjoy the extended networking with other like-minded individuals. If you would like additional information on any of these events, consult the club’s secretariat.