That’s Chang’e, the goddess associated with the moon and the full moon harvest festival of Chinese culture. Every year, though there’s no autumn to speak of in Singapore, Chinatown is decorated with lanterns, and all the shops (including Starbucks) start selling mooncakes.
(Mooncakes are kind of like the Chinese equivalent of fruitcakes—their purpose is to be given as gifts, not necessarily to be happily consumed. I like mooncakes, though, except for the fancy ones that have egg yolks baked into them. Whose brilliant idea was it to make a treat that’s sweet and savory at the same time? For Pete’s sake, pick one or the other!)
This year’s decorations seem to be quite specific in how they tie into the legend. I see suns, the archer who shot them down, the moon rabbit, and the magic herb needed for the elixir of life. The flowers might be cassia tree flowers, from the tree on the moon in the legend, but I’m not sure. (Cassia bark is cinnamon.)
