The Huntington Library

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Mid-Autumn Moon Celebration 9/29/2015 (Page One)

Page 1 - Arrival And Getting Started | Page 2 Great Fun With Brian & Jan

The full moon in the autumn sky symbolizes reunion and togetherness, and it presides over one of the most important celebrations of the year in Chinese tradition. The Huntington marked the occasion with its annual Mid-Autumn Moon Celebration with music, cocktails, teas, and authentic Asian cuisine in the beautiful setting of Liu Fang Yuan ??? the Garden of Flowing Fragrance.

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Click for full-sized imag

The event was open to Huntington Members at the Premier levels (Affiliate, Supporting, Patron, and Benefactor) and the Society of Fellows.

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015

Among the evening's highlights will be excerpts from Dream of the Red Chamber, playwright Henry Ong's English-language stage adaptation of the classic Chinese novel.   We saw three 10 minute snapshots of the six hour play!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The temperature was perfect!

Did You Know? - Mid-Autumn Festival is an inherited custom of moon sacrificial ceremonies. The ancient Chinese observed that the movement of the moon had a close relationship with changes of the seasons and agricultural production. Hence, to express their thanks to the moon and celebrate the harvest, they offered a sacrifice to the moon on autumn days.

We Have Arrived And Await The Signal To Go Into The Grounds

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The temperature was in the mid-80's... Not too bad!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Brian is ready to go!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
All smiles!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Ready for an interesting evening

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
"Let's get this show on the road!"

Time To Walk Into The Gardens

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Right on time!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The circle in front of the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery
was transformed this evening into a meeting/dining area

Did You Know? - The opening of the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery in March 2000 marked the unfolding of a new chapter at The Huntington, as the gallery created an international class venue for changing exhibitions. Since its opening, The Huntington has been able to undertake major exhibitions drawn from its own collections and to bring exciting national and international exhibits to Southern California from other museums and galleries.

The building itself has a long history; designed in 1911 by architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, it was once founder Henry Huntington's garage, used for family automobiles and to provide living quarters for members of Mr. Huntington's staff. It took the commitment, vision, and generosity of MaryLou and George Boone to make the transformation of the space from garage to gallery possible.

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The Chinese lanterns were all over the place...

Did You Know? - A Paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, although more complicated lanterns consist of a collapsible bamboo or metal frame of hoops covered with tough paper.

Sometimes, other lanterns can be made out of colored silk (usually red) or vinyl. Silk lanterns are also collapsible with a metal expander and are decorated with Chinese characters and/or designs.

The vinyl lanterns are more durable; they can resist rain, sunlight, and wind. Paper lanterns do not last very long, they soon break, and silk lanterns last longer. The gold paper on them will soon fade away to a pale white, and the red silk will become a mix between pink and red.

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Many of the food tables and bars had great flower displays

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
"Pardon me sir but may I see your drivers license?"

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
"I fooled him!"

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
We had a super table in the center of all the activities!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The different foods were quite amazing!

Did We Say Food?

Good food is central to any celebration, and there will be many delicious options available at stations throughout the garden. Participating restaurants include Bird Pick Tea and Herb, Chengdu Taste, Choza 96, Copa Vida, Fluff Ice, Haidilao Hot Pot, Luscious Dumplings, Maison Akira, New Fusion, Pine & Crane, Roy's of Pasadena, and many more.

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Click for easier to read image

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Trip number six to the food tables and Brian is still hungry!
"Oops! I wore a white shirt... Not a great idea!"

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Bachi Burger... Brain found heaven on Earth

Did You Know? - Bachi Burger. It's meant to refer to both a Japanese habachi grill, and "bachi," which can refer to karma in Japanese.?

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
Yes... The bun was purple!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The crowds were now showing up... Glad we had our table!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The lobster was indeed juicy!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The area was covered in people and food/drink tables!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015
The music was fantastic!

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015

Autumn Moon Festival at the Huntington 9/29/2015

Music: "There Is A Beautiful Place"

Page 1 - Arrival And Getting Started | Page 2 Great Fun With Brian & Jan