Mooncake Dice Game

Last friday, I joined my mom to celebrate mid-autumn festival (more commonly known as ‘Moon Festival‘) with her former colleagues.  While the custom or tradition to celebrate the Moon Festival is by floating sky lanterns, burning incense, planting mid-autumn trees & fire dragon dances, we, on the other hand, celebrated by playing a dice game referred to as “Mooncake Dice Game“.

During old times, prizes were mooncakes.  We, however, following modern times, used practical items like food & household items.  Mooncake is still part of the event though 🙂  We ate different kinds of mooncake while playing the dice game.

image from Wikipedia.org

There were about 13 of us who gathered at Sky Dragon Restaurant in Ongpin.  We had dinner first, sang for a short while then started the game.  Our prizes were simple items like junkfood, drinks, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.  Pretty cheap but it’s the company and the enjoyment that were more important.

The rules of the game are just simple.  We need 6 pieces of dice, 1 glass bowl & prizes for the winners.  Prizes are split into six, categorized as to the combination of dice that would come out.  These are the ff.:

• 6th Prize – throw 1 four

• 5th Prize – throw 2 fours

• 4th Prize – throw 4 of the same kind (except fours)

• 3rd Prize – throw 3 fours

• 2nd Prize – straight/full sequence or 3 of a number & 3 of another

• 1st Prize – throw 6 fours, 6 ones, 6 of any kind, 5 fours, 5 of any kind, 4 fours

There’s also 2 combination of dice that are considered as 1st prize but there’s also a catch.  If you throw it, you can win 1st prize and also ALL the prizes in the table (even if others have won it already).  Others usually take this rule out so everyone can go home with something.  Anyhow, those 2 combinations are really rare to throw so if you ask me, I would want to keep the rule.  None of us got it last friday.

We played for an hour.  My mom and I took the ff. prizes, not much but at least, we have something to munch on when we watch TV hehehe 😛

How about you?  How did you celebrate Moon Festival? 🙂