Amidst the storm, the Mid-Autumn Moon still shines in people's hearts - Cao Bang Electronic Newspaper

After days of heavy rain and storms, many places are still in ruins. This year's Mid-Autumn Festival, the usual joyful atmosphere has given way to a quiet, sharing atmosphere. People have not had time to clean up their houses, children have not had time to buy lanterns, but somewhere, the full moon still shines in the warmth of human love.

Unlike previous years, when mooncake stalls were brightly colored and attracted shoppers, this year the Mid-Autumn Festival market was quieter than ever. Ms. Be Bich Thu, a Kinh Do mooncake seller on Hoang Nhu Street, Thuc Phan Ward, said: Before storm No. 10, purchasing power was quite good. In the past few days, due to the storm, purchasing power has decreased by more than half compared to before the storm. Many customers stopped by to ask for prices, consult information, and then left.

The number of customers buying moon cakes at the counters is only sparse.

Choosing to buy a box of moon cakes for her grandchildren, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hang, Thuc Phan ward shared: In previous years, I usually bought them early and chose many different flavors for my children. This year, due to the storm and flood, my family had to save money to repair the house and buy household items that were damaged by the flood, so we did not buy as many cakes as before.

Weak purchasing power is a common record of the market before this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. According to shop owners, people come to buy cakes mainly as gifts, while few buy cakes to eat. Shop owners selling moon cakes said that the recent storms and floods have made business difficult. Many volunteer groups, localities, agencies and units have announced to stop organizing Mid-Autumn Festival, and reserve funds to buy necessities to support people to overcome the consequences of storms and floods.

Many organizations and individuals canceled orders for Mid-Autumn Festival trays.

In addition to the sharp decline in purchasing power at cake stalls, many businesses selling trays of food and organizing events are also in a similar situation when the number of canceled orders increases. Ms. NTT, the owner of a Mid-Autumn Festival tray business in Thuc Phan ward, said: 2 weeks ago, I received orders from organizations and individuals to make trays to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival for children. However, due to the impact of storm No. 10, the number of orders was canceled a lot or the number of trays was reduced to a minimum. The estimated cost of importing raw materials to make trays of food is about 20 million, although the sales are slow, but I feel that it is the right thing to do, because currently, supporting and overcoming storms and floods is the most important thing. Therefore, I returned all deposits to individuals and organizations that canceled orders.

Not only cakes, but also toys, star lanterns, lion drums, etc. are in a similar state of disrepair. Along Thuc Phan Street, only a few stalls are open. Due to the impact of the storm, many communes and wards have proactively canceled or postponed Mid-Autumn Festival activities for children. Lion dance stages and collective feast-breaking nights, which are the joys of children, have now had to be postponed.

However, despite the difficult circumstances, charitable activities still managed to spread. Youth unions, women’s associations, border guards, and volunteer groups in the province organized “Sharing Mid-Autumn Festivals”, bringing cakes, milk, and lanterns to children in remote areas.

Dam Thuy Border Guard Station coordinated with the Youth Union of Dam Thuy commune to organize Mid-Autumn Festival for children in Ban Gioc hamlet, Dam Thuy commune.

Although there is no longer the bustling sound of lion drums or colorful lanterns, the full moon night of August this year is still bright with the spirit of sharing. Many organizations and individuals continue to donate to support people in storm-hit areas, bringing warmth after days of storms and floods.

This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival has no grand feast, no stage, no drumbeat. But amidst the muddy land, the moonlight still filters through the clouds, illuminating warm smiles. The storm may have swept away many of the people’s properties, but it cannot extinguish human love – the gentlest light of the moon season.

Hoang Phuc

Source: https://baocaobang.vn/giua-mua-bao-trang-trung-thu-van-sang-trong-long-nguoi-3181001.html