Mid-Autumn Festival 2022: Joyous Return to the Central Plaza

Written by: Charlize Ling Xuan Ting (22S77)

Photos by: Studio Ardent

Our graceful dancers in motion

Mid-Autumn Festival 2022 (or MAF as Hwa Chongians lovingly call it), the first in-person edition since 2020, took place on 31 August and was definitely the highlight of the year to many. Entering the Central Plaza, students were greeted by lanterns decorated by the classes and a hand-painted banner by the Students’ Council.

However, everyone’s attention was drawn to the Chang-E and Hou Yi figurines which piqued their curiosity. The audience excitedly whipped out their phones to snap pictures of the hilarious figures clad in traditional Chinese costumes. The Chinese Orchestra kickstarted the evening with its incredible renditions of classic songs.

Another highlight of the evening was undoubtedly MAD (Chinese). Their graceful and balletic dance moves left us in awe and the glowing orbs they used complemented their movements perfectly. Their dance demonstrated classical Chinese dance moves, as well as the dancers’ impressive flexibility, resulting in a combination that was definitely worthy of rapturous cheers. Other performances included segments from Wushu and Weyoung, which both received resounding applause from the audience. The performances were also interspersed by entertaining Game Show segments, where Hwa Chongians competed to win attractive prizes by reciting tongue twisters and answering trivia questions.

Our martial arts exponents in action

Finally, it was time for the Grand Light Up and for Chang-E’s final journey. The audience excitedly counted down, waiting for the lanterns to light up. The lanterns began to dance with light in a choreographed light show. Then, Chang-E started her graceful descent to meet Hou Yi from her perch on the fourth floor. This moment was certain to stay in Hwa Chongians’ minds for a long time to come!

At last, it was time for the most anticipated and iconic segment of MAF: The Sodache Segment. A tradition passed down through batches of Hwa Chong students, it allows students past and present to bond over song and dance. The J1s enjoyed singing along to songs like 细水长流 and dances like Beechwood to get us all up and moving. Even for someone who has poor coordination, I could not help but dance along, buoyed by the enthusiastic Student Councillors and my fellow batch-mates.

With MAF ending with a bang, we exhilaratedly made our way home. Though tired, MAF will remain in our hearts forever and will be a quintessential event of our youth to be relived in future.

Singing along to SODACHE