This story first appeared in The Daily Illini.
(Photo by The Daily Illini)
Joy, tradition and anticipation filled the Siebel Center for Design during the Mid-Autumn Festival, presented by the Chinese American Association of Central Illinois, on Sunday.
The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in China is traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. This year, the festival falls on a Monday. It marks the time when the moon is believed to be at its fullest, symbolizing the autumn harvest, similar to Thanksgiving.
At the University’s Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, CAACI prepared and curated a variety of experiences and performances, such as origami crane folding, Chinese paper cutting, Tai Chi, Taekwondo & Gumdo, vocal solos and more.
Ying Man Tang, president of the CAACI, leads both cultural and community initiatives for the association. The association focuses on promoting the well-being of Chinese individuals and Chinese Americans, along with advancing the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture.
“The Mid-Autumn Festival is more than a holiday to me; I see it as part of CAACI’s mission to bring people together through cultural, educational and social activities,” Tang said. “I hope this festival not only celebrates Chinese heritage but also encourages cultural exchange and adds to the community life we share in the United States.”
Both indoors and outdoors, SCD was filled with activities for students, guests, children and parents to delve into Chinese traditions together.
There was a tasting of different foods associated with the harvest festival, consisting of a jujube-filled mooncake, mandarin oranges and crystal taro cakes. The mooncake was reminiscent of a fig bar with a rich, pasty filling. The crystal taro cake, dazzled with its mochi-like rice coating, encased a velvety taro paste in the center.
Pocket gifts, freebies and mementos were passed around and shared. Hebaos, little pouches used to store valuables and scents, were distributed along with festive fruit-themed hand fans.
The Carle Illinois College of Medicine helped organize and set up the event, beginning a partnership with the CAACI last year. It has previously helped partner with a few of the CAACI’s community initiatives.
Conway Hsieh and Claire Cheng are graduate students in medicine who helped volunteer at the event; they also held a health interactive activity to help children learn about the human body and gain health knowledge.
“We’re the only student organization to be partnering with the CAACI for this event,” Hsieh said. “It’s great to see the student body and families come together to see the bright, full moon.”
The festival is one of the most cherished holidays in East and Southeast Asian cultures. It’s a time for reunion, reflection and honoring legends like Chang’e, the moon goddess.
“This is the second biggest holiday in the Chinese community,” Cheng said. “New Year’s is probably first, but Dragon Boat is also up there with significance.”
Dance performance groups included Xinjiang Style and Qipao Show. Each group had traditional dance outfits and performed outside on the back steps of SCD.
Mingming Peng, a dancer in Xinjiang Style, celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in China when she was younger. She explained that there are varied ways it’s celebrated within the 56 ethnic groups in China.
In Xinjiang province, where Peng is from, dance is very important and demonstrates the joys of a happy life. For the festival, Peng dressed and performed in traditional Xinjiang women’s attire.
Celebrations and festivities are big in Chinese culture. In China, the national government allows the jollity to go on from National China Day on Oct. 1 all the way until Oct. 8, allowing working people to stay off from work.
“It makes more time to watch the moon, drink tea and eat mooncake with grapes, apples and melon,” Peng said. “Lots of dancing and singing, too.”
While hundreds of miles away from China, the spirit of the festival was just as bright in Champaign-Urbana. As the sun set and the moon rose above SCD, its glow immersed attendees in its warmth.
The festival not only offered a taste or glimpse at Chinese culture, but it also illuminated the goal of CAACI, gathering the community through traditions and celebration.
Edgar Nava is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a staff writer for The Daily Illini.