Highlights of the "Mid-Autumn Festival" program in Sri Lanka

The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival has become an unforgettable memory for Sri Lankan children. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka)

In order to introduce traditional Vietnamese culture to the local people, on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival 2025, the Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka and Truc Lam Zen Monastery - the first Vietnamese pagoda located in Ambakote, Central Sri Lanka, together with the Vietnamese community, jointly organized the program "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2025" for children of Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

This is the first time the Mid-Autumn Festival has been held in Sri Lanka. The program is even more meaningful because it is held on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka (1970-2025); contributing to further strengthening the close friendship and vibrant people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Attending the program were: Vice President of the Sri Lankan Parliament Rizvie Salih, Governor of the Central Province of Sri Lanka Sarath Abeyakoon, Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam, abbot of Truc Lam Zen Monastery Venerable Thich Phap Quang, a large number of Vietnamese community and local people. In particular, the program had the participation of more than 100 Sri Lankan and Vietnamese children.

Local people participate in a contest to decorate fruit trays and create artistic fruit shapes. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka)

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam said that this was the first time the Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka had coordinated with Truc Lam Zen Monastery and the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka to organize the “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2025” for children in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The program was held on the occasion of Sri Lanka celebrating World Children’s Day on October 1, further highlighting the similarities between the two countries in showing affection, care and concern for the young generation – the future owners of the two countries.

Emphasizing the meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival as a moment of reunion, solidarity, and connection, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam expressed her belief that introducing this special cultural feature of the Vietnamese people will help the people of Sri Lanka better understand the country and people of Vietnam, especially the care for children.

A large number of Sri Lankan children attended the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka)

Expressing his joy at attending a festival imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity right in the central province of Sri Lanka, Vice President of the Sri Lankan Parliament Rizvie Salih affirmed that the event is a vivid demonstration of the increasingly close, trusting and cooperative relationship between the two countries.

The Vice President of the Sri Lankan Parliament emphasized that children from both countries enjoying the Mid-Autumn Festival together, singing and participating in traditional games is a bright symbol of friendship, solidarity, as well as hope for a peaceful, prosperous and long-term cooperative future between Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

At the program, Vietnamese and Sri Lankan children enthusiastically participated in competitions such as making lanterns, decorating fruit trays and creating artistic fruit shapes; participating in special singing and dancing performances, from traditional lion dances to familiar songs such as Chiec dang ong sao (Star lantern), Tet Trung thu truc dang di choi (Mid-Autumn Festival lantern parade), Bong bong bang bang (Bong bong bang), Noi vong tay lon (Big circle of hands)... Participating in these activities demonstrated the spirit of borderless solidarity of Vietnamese and Sri Lankan children. In particular, the appearance of Ms. Hang and Mr. Cuoi brought the audience back to the sparkling fairy tale world of the full moon night.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has become an unforgettable memory for the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Sri Lanka)

Within the framework of the event, representatives of the program's Organizing Committee and representatives of the Sri Lankan government awarded prizes for the lantern making contest and the fruit tray decoration contest; presented gifts to students with excellent achievements in learning Vietnamese and actively participating in activities of Truc Lam Zen Monastery as well as the Embassy, contributing to promoting people-to-people exchange between the two countries.

The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival in Sri Lanka has become an unforgettable memory, not only for the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka but also for Sri Lankan friends, as a vivid proof of the increasingly strong friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Khanh Lan

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dac-sac-chuong-trinh-vui-tet-mid-thu-tai-sri-lanka-post913398.html