Buddha’s Light Youth Bring Mid-Autumn Cheer to Westminster Court Senior Residence

Community

On September 20, the Fo Guang Shan Toronto Young Adult Division (BLIA YAD), alongside temple library volunteers, visited Westminster Court Senior Residence to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with local seniors. Nearly 100 participants shared a joyful afternoon filled with guqin melodies, cultural performances, and lantern painting.

The celebration opened with resonant guqin music, followed by Yuanji dance, guzheng, clarinet solos, and martial arts demonstrations, showcasing the diversity and elegance of Chinese arts. Seniors enjoyed vegetarian refreshment boxes prepared by the youth, featuring vegetarian sushi, pandan cake, and snow skin mooncakes.

This year introduced a hands-on lantern painting workshop. After an introduction to the history and symbolism of festival lanterns, seniors created their own designs with the patient encouragement of volunteers.

For many residents who could not read Chinese, volunteers helped them trace calligraphy inspired by Venerable Master Hsing Yun's writings, while others painted tranquil ink-wash landscapes. The lanterns soon blossomed with vibrant colors and personal stories.

YAD members skillfully engaged with the seniors—Melissa hosted the program, Brian served tea, and youth members chatted warmly throughout the hall, creating a festive family atmosphere.

The Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunion, warmth, and care. Through this visit, Toronto Buddha's Light Youth brought Humanistic Buddhism to the community, putting into practice the ideals of propagating the Dharma through culture, fostering talent through education, benefiting society through charity, and purifying minds through practice.