Written by Bavesha Naidoo
The Mid-Autumn Festival, often called the Moon Festival, is an annual harvest celebration observed throughout Asian culture. This occasion was a time to celebrate the successful harvest of rice and wheat by performing food offerings to the moon. Observing the Moon while enjoying mooncakes, referred to as 月饼 (yuèbǐng) in Chinese, is still an annual tradition for outdoor celebrations of friends and family today. Families come together for this evening ceremony to light lanterns and admire the moon. As the full moon symbolizes a family reunion, this particular day is also referred to as the Festival of Reunion. For many years, UNCG’s defining event was the Asian Autumn Festival. In addition to celebrating cultural relations and informing attendees about Asian customs, the event also strengthens bonds between other people and promotes unity in society and community empowerment.
Dr. Meiqing Sun, Senior Lecturer and Program Advisor of the Chinese Studies, The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, organized and coordinated UNCG’s Asian Autumn Festival. Through much preparation and commitment to plan for this festive day in advance, Dr. Sun ensured that the students would once again, have greater exposure and opportunity to learn about the Asian culture that is present within our own university. However, the weather had an unforeseen surge in temperature, which ultimately led to making alternate arrangements by relocating the event to an enclosed area on campus! With the aid of the EUC Reservations and the Office of Intercultural Engagement, it was ensured that this event would still take place despite relocating to a whole different venue. 好事多磨 (Hǎoshìduōmó) is a famous Chinese proverb that states, “The road to happiness is paved with setbacks.” This saying, in my opinion, perfectly captures the spirit of the day of the festival: how eager people were to participate despite the unanticipated temperatures, and how many students took the initiative to volunteer and assist in making this special day one to remember!
As we – the student volunteers – made our best effort to find our way around the venue, it was simply heartwarming to see how all the students would be so willing to help one another in setting up for the festival. A variety of cultures came together in order to showcase the diversity found at UNCG: The Chinese Culture and Language Association, Filipino American Student Association, Vietnamese Student Association, Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., International Student Association, Korean Student Association, Students of Caribbean Ancestry, and the Martial Arts Club. Each student organization presented an activity or game that would celebrate their cultural backgrounds. Examples include Tinikling, a bamboo dance game that the Filipino American students would present, and Pitch-pot, a Chinese game that calls for players to throw arrows or sticks into a sizable, occasionally elaborate container from a specified distance.
As the festival included a variety of games and activities like prize fishing, hula hooping, skipping rope, ping pong, shuttlecock, and arts and crafts, the day would not have been complete without the addition of mooncakes! In Chinese culture, roundness symbolizes fulfillment and unity. Given that a full moon represents prosperity and family reunion, it is said that round mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival pair well with the harvest moon in the beautiful night sky. We were blessed with the generosity of Ms. Cammy Wilkerson, who willingly provided these delightful mooncakes that were traditional lotus paste with salted duck egg yolk! After conversing with Ms. Cammy and getting to know her through our shared interest in Chinese culture. We would all like to express our appreciation to Ms. Cammy for this generous deed to share this part of Asian culture with all of us. I wholeheartedly agree with Ms. Cammy’s deep regard for culture as she states, “I find Asian cultures place great emphasis on being sure people are comfortable and well-cared for. I can’t think of anything more honorable or important than the simple concern for the well-being of others.”
Even though the festival was hosted on UNCG grounds, this did not limit the event exclusively to students. The Mid-Autumn Festival drew the attention of families and individuals who did not attend the university! As people of different ethnic backgrounds and ages participated in the games and activities that were featured at the tables of the student associations, I found myself noticing how eager they were to gain insight into various cultures by spending time with us all and interacting with the student associations!
Pierce Keaton, a student I had the pleasure of meeting and who had previously attended UNCG, delighted us by arriving to volunteer with the students during the festival. Pierce traveled two hours from Lynchburg, Virginia to spend this day with his favorite professor, Dr. Sun, former classmates, and friends from the Chinese Culture Club despite the weather and temperature! His description of this event truly spoke for all of us students who attended the festival, “It’s a unique environment in that it genuinely is a festival; everyone is relaxed, happy, and talkative, there are different tables to explore and learn from, and you meet all kinds of people through chatting and playing games. It’s a breath of fresh air from the busyness of school and work life. And being able to contribute to such a huge turnout felt amazing.”
The event was a memorable experience given the tremendously positive feedback it received from attendees, who also contributed to making this day so special! Emma Torrey was another student who participated in the festival and had the opportunity to attend a school event with her family. In order to understand others, unite people, and appreciate our differences simultaneously, Emma asserts that understanding various cultures is a crucial component of today’s society. Her words, in my opinion, truly underscored the significance of the festival as it gave students the opportunity to interact with one another and engage in activities that allowed them to learn about the background of the featured cultures.
In addition to the renowned traditional Asian folk games, this year’s Asian Autumn Festival featured astounding stage performances in the EUC Auditorium. K-Code, a K-Pop dance group from UNCG, opened the day’s performances with their exuberant energy, which truly had everyone hyped. Following the dancers came our Martial Arts Club, who displayed their skills and techniques through a demonstration of light sparring and pad work with the audience! We were then graced by the presence of gifted musicians who shared their talent with us, and I found their performances to be immensely tranquil.
Sabinne Charles performed her captivating rendition of Jasmine Flowers. Based on Sabinne’s instant recognition of the popular Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower, Dr. Sun recommended it as a fitting addition to the festival! This was followed by an Erhu performance of Qianbaidu by Ming Kong, a Ph.D. candidate in violin major at the UNCG School of Music. Ming Kong also enlightened us with his rendition of Ru Yuan, played gracefully on the violin. His outstanding performance, which combined Western and Chinese musical components, truly captivated the audience. Dr. Kelly Pereira, an Associate Professor of Spanish Applied Linguistics of Languages, Literature, and Cultures at UNCG, brought her six-year-old daughter to the festival and informed us just how much she enjoyed the games and musical performances that were showcased. I am pleased to hear that the students were so understanding with Dr. Pereira’s daughter as well as everyone else who was enthusiastic to participate in the activities!
I am grateful to have been able to participate in such an event where everyone was eager to learn about other cultural backgrounds. As Dr. Sun had stated, the intention of this festival was to increase worldwide relationships, promote mental wellness, and expose students more to Asian cultures. It is evident from attending this diverse cultural event that festivities such as this ultimately strengthen bonds within the community, which is what matters most to us all. As a volunteer at the welcome and information desk, I had the privilege of hearing firsthand experiences about the memorable moments that people had while attending the Asian Festival. Many of these individuals, including those whom I interviewed and myself, wish to be a part of another event of this kind in the future!
