Mid-Autumn Festival Storytelling (23/09/2012)
| Venue | ： | Tsimshatsui Book Centre, The Commercial Press Shops B1007-1010, B1/F., Miramar Shopping Centre, 132 Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui, Kln. |
| Speaker | ： | Hong Kong Talespinners |
| Host | ： | Ms. Christa Tam |
Review
Diana, the beautiful Roman goddess of Hunting and the Moon, was a cold-hearted deity. But one day when flying across the sky, her eyes fell upon a sleeping mortal, the shepherd Endymion. She was so entranced by his beauty that she flew down to kiss him in his sleep...... and so the story commenced, told by Jenn Horgos, one of The Hong KongTalespinners. As she regaled this ancient myth at our Mid Autumn Festival event on 23 September 2012, our audience, both children and parents, were completely captivated.
For most of them, the ancient Chinese story of Chang Er Flying to the Moon, which was handed down from generation to generation, is the only one they have heard about the moon. Very little has been told about the moon from the perspective of other cultures, so it was a great pleasure once again for Blooming Club to have the Hong Kong Talespinners with us, bringing with them folktales from India, Brazil, Sweden, ancient Rome as well as China.
The children, in particular, were intrigued to hear from Lynne Kirk, veteran storyteller, that in Indian culture, there is also a hare on the moon and it is there because it gave its life to help a poor beggar and was rewarded by the Mighty God to live there after its life on earth came to an end.
The diversity of the stories that followed continued to capture the audience’s imagination. The friendship of a Lion and a Tiger which was complicated by the continual waxing and waning of the moon was recounted by Reenita Malhotra. Kitty But told the story of a tribal chief’s daughter in Brazil who got drowned when searching for the Warrior of the Moon and was turned into a giant flower by the Moon God. And the well-known story of Chang Er flying to the moon by Daneigh Sung.
In these modern times when communication has become digital and information is often delivered visually, the traditional art form of storytelling in contrast provides direct communication between the teller and the listener as well as a great opportunity to develop imagination in the listener and sadly it is a tradition which is being lost and forgotten. This small group of passionate storytellers who love stories and telling them for the pleasure of others, is dedicated in reviving this great tradition by hosting storytelling sessions to entertain a young audience. On this day, our members all immensely enjoyed the stories, the songs and the poems and took home not just their lanterns but stories singing in their heads that will warm their hearts when they picture them again in their imaginations and increase their understanding and knowledge of other cultures.
Moms and Dads, how about some storytelling at home?
In you are interested in learning more about the group, please visit their Facebook Page or contact them at hongkongtalespinners@gmail.com
Thank you, the Talespinners for your captivating stories and the lovely Sunday afternoon we all enjoyed with you.
