[BCMA] Fwd: Barkerville honours its Chinese-Canadian pioneers during sesquicentennial Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Fri Aug 24 08:47:58 PDT 2012

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Barkerville honours its Chinese-Canadian pioneers during 
sesquicentennial Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Date: 	Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:19:21 -0700

*_For Immediate Release_*

**

*Barkerville honours its Chinese-Canadian pioneers during 
sesquicentennial Mid-Autumn Moon Festival*

**

*August 23, 2012 (Barkerville, BC)*-- Mid-Autumn Moon Festivals have 
been held throughout Asia for more than 1000 years. The holiday is a 
time to rejoice over the bounty of the summer harvest, the fullness of 
the moon, and to recall the legends of /Chang O/, a tragic Chinese 
goddess who is said to live on the moon. The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is 
often compared to Thanksgiving in the western world, because of its 
spirit of appreciation and the abundance of food - including the 
traditional moon cake; a flaky, round, semi-sweet pastry often filled 
with bean or lotus-seed paste shaped to resemble the full moon. Millions 
of moon cakes are sold and/or gifted around the world during 
celebrations of the Mid-Autumn Moon.

Barkerville's annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival includes a variety of 
daytime and evening activities commemorating British Columbia's 
Chinese-Canadian pioneers, and is traditionally the second most popular 
event in the National Historic Site's summer season (after Dominion Day 
on July 1st). This year, during Barkerville's 150^th anniversary season, 
the Moon Festival takes place Saturday, August 25^th , and is certain to 
be more popular than ever. Lion dances, Chinese martial arts 
demonstrations, lantern-making workshops, a tea ceremony, games for all 
ages, moon cake tasting, two special celebration banquets, late-night 
fireworks, and a spectacular parade of illuminated paper lanterns will 
fill the event with equal parts revelry and reverence for one of BC's 
oldest and largest ethnic communities.

"British Columbia possesses a rich Chinese heritage, and Barkerville's 
vast collection of Chinese architecture, artefacts, archival material 
and photographs helps our visitors celebrate those Chinese immigrants 
working and living in Canada during the Cariboo Gold Rush," said 
Fairlith Harvey, Barkerville's Special Events Coordinator. "Thanks to 
the involvement of Barkerville Gold Mines, our 2012 Community Supporter 
for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, this year's sesquicentennial 
celebration will be our biggest and best yet."

According to ancient Chinese astrology, the moon is at its roundest in 
the middle of the autumn season. Since the round shape of full moon 
symbolizes family reunion and togetherness in Chinese culture, one of 
the pre-eminent festivals in the Chinese calendar is the Mid-Autumn Moon 
Festival. During the festival, family members gather to eat moon cakes 
and appreciate the bright full moon - an auspicious token of abundance, 
harmony and luck.

Barkerville celebrates Mid-Autumn Moon a little earlier than most -- 
/Mid-August /rather than strictly /Mid-Autumn /-- as a way sharing this 
special day with the historic town's summertime guests.

"The struggle and sacrifice of Barkerville's Chinese community has been 
recognized as an extraordinary contribution to the forming of British 
Columbia as we know it today," said Judy Campbell, Barkerville's Chief 
Executive Officer. "We are happy to help honour those Chinese miners who 
traveled to the far side of the world to work industriously in the 
goldfields in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their loved ones."

In addition to Community Supporter Barkerville Gold Mines, the 2012 
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is made possible by Community Sponsor 
McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd., and Community Supporter Sandman 
Hotel (Quesnel).

_

For more information about the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, or any of 
Barkerville's 150^th anniversary events, please visit please visit 
www.barkerville.ca/special_events.htm 
<http://www.barkerville.ca/special_events.htm>.

*- 30 -*

**

**

*ABOUT BARKERVILLE HISTORIC TOWN*

Barkerville Historic Town is the largest historic site in Western North 
America (www.barkerville.ca).  Barkerville is provincially, nationally 
and internationally recognized for its historic significance associated 
with its place in western Canada's gold rush era and the role the gold 
rush played in BC joining Canada. Barkerville is widely known as a "must 
see" for travel itineraries in western Canada.  The historic town is 
also a significant contributor to the Cariboo regional economy and is 
widely regarded as a unique component of the regional identity.

The Barkerville Heritage Trust, as Barkerville's operating and managing 
partner, works in conjunction with the Province of British Columbia, the 
owner and statutory guardian of Barkerville's heritage resources, to 
ensure that Barkerville is efficiently managed, entertaining and 
educational to visitors, and financially stable as the premier heritage 
resource and tourism attraction for the Cariboo. The ultimate aim is to 
maintain and enhance Barkerville's position as a nationally significant 
heritage resource and tourism attraction for British Columbia and Canada.

Barkerville is situated 80 km east of Quesnel, British Columbia in the 
foothills of the Cariboo Mountains, close to Troll Mountain Ski Resort 
and Bowron Lake Provincial Park. The nearby community of Wells (8 km 
from Barkerville) is the service and housing centre for the area 
(www.wellsbc.com) and is itself a dynamic cultural community, home of 
Island Mountain Arts, the acclaimed Toni Onley Artists' Project, the 
International Celtic Harp School (www.imarts.com), the dynamic indie 
music festival ArtsWells (www.artswells.com), and the Sunset Theatre 
(www.sunset-theatre.com). Wells is also situated close to a wide variety 
of winter and summer outdoor activities.

**

*MEDIA INQUIRIES*

James Douglas | Manager, Visitor Experiences

B  A  R  K  E  R  V  I  L  L  E     H  I  S  T  O  R   I  C     T  O  W  N

Box 19 | Barkerville, BC | V0K 1B0

250-994-3302 ext. 41 | 888-994-3332 toll free | 250-994-3435 fax

james.douglas at barkerville.ca

www.barkerville.ca <http://www.barkerville.ca/>

barkerville.wordpress.com

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