UCSI University students wowed the local community at Pesta Tanglung 2012 held recently at the Esplanade, Kampung Cina, Kuala Terengganu.

Busy helping - UCSI University's medical students together with the local Lion's Club provides the local community with free health screen and advice every evening during Pesta Tanglung 2012.

Kung Ming would have loved this - knowing that his Sky Lanterns are now being appreciated by the international community.

"Save Our Turtles" - Monglen and Saku Nasser are happy to have done their part in supporting the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia.

Kuala Terengganu, 30 September, 2012 - To most Malaysians, the Mid-autumn Festival or Lantern Festival is a Chinese tradition observed by the Chinese community on the fifteenth night of the eighth lunar month wherein families would gather around for dinner, followed by eating sweetmeats, moon cakes and drinking Chinese tea the way various minced meat pies are served after a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner in North American tradition.

In big cities of Malaysia perhaps the significance of the Mid Autumn Festival is not felt as strongly as in smaller "new villages" where Chinese tradesmen or clan men's associations would organise community based events to boost consumer consumption as well as to unite the community through an anticipated festive air in what would be the last major festival before Winter Solstice arrives in the twelfth month to end the year; and families would, after an early dinner throng the streets to either take some leisurely walks in the neighbourhood to appreciate the full moon or guide children and youngsters with their lit up lanterns, in celebration of a festival steeped in tradition and laced with cultural myths. 

Yesterday evening, tradition embraces internationalism as groups of UCSI University foreign and local students and accompanying staff engaged themselves in Pesta Tanglung (Lantern Fair) 2012 organised along the esplanade of Kampung Cina at Kuala Terengganu, making their presence known to what is always an amiable local community eager to chat up foreign tourists and visitors.  Our international students visited various booths to sample Chinese moon cakes, drink Chinese tea, listen to Chinese chamber music, take part in Chinese brush calligraphy and learn how to release paper Sky Lanterns (Kung Ming lanterns) with the help of friends they made while walking along the brightly lit-up river front.  Cooled by the evening breeze in what is now a pre monsoon season in the east coast, our Intensive English programme participants from Saudi Arabia took to the boardwalk, joining the local ladies in their well rehearsed line dancing and cha cha routines, much to the amusement of the locals who came forward to chat up with the bus load of students who also included our regular students from Yemen, Nigeria, India, Ukraine and Uganda. It was interesting for the passers-by to watch foreign students engaging in political banter with volunteers at the few booths sponsored by the government, just as it was interesting for our international students watching boldly dressed singers at the local ge-tai (temporary song stage) and chatting up young people at the Japanese themed cosplay booths.  Many of those who took part in the festival felt that foreign students' involvement in the Pesta Tanglung is one of the many ways we promote cross-cultural exchanges, international friendship and understanding, especially at the State of Terengganu which is far out from the capital city.

Professor Chan Eng Heng, well known terrapin and turtle conservationist whose booth was well supported by our students was pleased with the number of curious visitors who wanted to know what they could do to help support the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia. 

Nasser Saku, a second year Oil & Gas Management student from Uganda could not wait to someday be a volunteer turtle ranger in Malaysia, helping with conservation work along the east coast.

Monglen Orobosa, our MBA candidate in Oil & Gas Management programme from Nigeria was pleased that she followed the university bus to Pesta Tanglung to experience knowledge sharing with the locals, many of whom are educated people who place high hopes on students and universities to do something to improve society. She opined that university cannot exist in vacuums, community education and engagement is important in that it brings societal issues and concerns to students and faculty members who are change agents in any society. 

Matron Aini Abu Bakar from UCSI University's own medical faculty, having worked relentlessly in the past week at the community health screen booth with our medical students and the local Lions' Club had nothing but praise for Pesta Tanglung 2012.  "Not only we were able to reach out to so many people in our community, we were able to learn about the Chinese cultural values by visiting the exhibition and demonstration booths of Chinese tea art, calligraphy, lantern making, traditional Chinese music and watching Sky Lanterns fly across the river front with messages of love and peace." 

Yazeed Abdullah from Saudi Arabia said he had never seen so many people of different racial and religious backgrounds lighting lanterns and helping each other fly and cheer for their lanterns together.  "The weather is cool and the entire waterfront is so happy and harmonious - I am going to miss this place, and I will definitely bring my family here for visits in future.  Malaysians are such wonderful people – you guys impress me," he enthused.

Pesta Tanglung 2012 closes today at the Esplanade as revelers shared off their last piece of moon cakes but UCSI KT Campus will have a Kung Ming Lantern light-up on Thursday, October 4, evening as we bid farewell to the twenty students from Saudi Arabia who will begin their technical programme in Kuala Lumpur next week.  Messages of love, friendship and goodwill have already been written on the many lanterns which students and staff bought, with proceeds going to the local organising committee. 

This is one Mid Autumn Festival that was celebrated amidst diversity.