To many Asian people around the world, mid-to-late September / early October is a time for unity, gratitude, and celebration. For those unaware of why this time of the month is significant to many, it is because the highly celebrated and largely anticipated Mid-Autumn Festival usually falls on a day within that time range. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is one of the most valued holidays celebrated around Asia. Although the holiday is celebrated in different ways by families, and isn’t the same in every country, the concept of unity and appreciation remains in the foundations no matter the country celebrating it. Perhaps that’s why so many love and celebrate it.
Some history of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is over 3,000 years old and was originally when people around Asia worshiped the moon and prayed for a good harvest in the upcoming year. This celebration was said to have originated from the tradition of moon honoring that happened during the Song Dynasty in China and spread around Asia later on. Many myths and stories are associated with the Mid-Autumn festival, but the most common is the story of the Jade Rabbit and the story of Chang’e. There are different versions of both stories in other cultures, but no matter what, the stories continue to instill the importance of compassion, selflessness, and love.
Down below are a few countries that celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
China ||
The Mid-Autumn Festival is called 中秋节 (Zhongqiu Jie) in China and is the second-largest holiday they celebrate. It is a time when families come together, have a meaningful meal like Americans would on Thanksgiving, and eat delicious 月饼 (aka mooncakes, a famous Chinese dessert). In Mainland China, colorfully decorated lanterns are often created and displayed to celebrate this big holiday. It’s normal to see kids running around with glowing lanterns and enjoying festivities while the adults catch up on missed time. In Taiwan, there are traditional performances, dragon and lion dances, and moon-gazing parties throughout cities. It is also normal to see locals celebrating the holiday with a family barbecue. Overall, to many Chinese people, the Mid-Autumn Festival is about gathering together as a family/community, showing appreciation, and enjoying themselves. That is what the holiday is all about.
South Korea ||
In South Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called 추석 (Chuseok), also known as the Korean Thanksgiving. 추석 is one of South Korea’s most important holidays, celebrated for three days, and is a time when families come together and give thanks to their ancestors. For many Koreans, 추석 is a crucial part of their culture and a time when they get to go back to their hometowns. During this holiday, it’s common for people to dress in their traditional Korean clothing, called 한벅(Hanbok), while enjoying activities, family meals, and tasty 송편 (aka songpyeon, a traditional Korean rice cake). In South Korea, Chuseok is primarily about showing gratitude, spending time with family or friends, and celebrating ancestors.
Japan ||
Japan’s variant of the Mid-Autumn Festival is called お月見 (Otsukimi) and is a little similar to how the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in China but without the mooncakes. It’s a time when families go moon-viewing, give food offerings like delicious rice dumplings to the moon in appreciation, and eat tasty rabbit-decorated 餅 (aka mochi, a Japanese rice cake). In Japan, people see rabbits pounding mochi with a mallet in the craters of the lunar moon, so decorating and displaying foods with rabbits and full moons is a common practice. While the Japanese people don’t quite celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as elaborately or thoroughly as Korean and Chinese people, this holiday is still important to them. It is a time when they are to show gratitude.
Radford University’s Mid-Autumn Celebration
On Saturday, September 21, 2024, Radford University’s Chinese Club hosted a Mid-Autumn festival celebration in collaboration with the Asian Pop Culture Club for the second time since COVID-19 occurred. The Mid-Autumn celebration was open to the whole community and had activities for people to engage in while listening to traditional Chinese instrumental music and conversing with friends and family. To add to the festivity of the celebration, the Chinese club invited back the Blacksburg Chinese school and the Dragon Tiger Eagle-Wushu Kungfu to perform at the event.
A few things that many people liked at the event were:
Watching the Blacksburg Chinese School performance
Seeing special guest Simon’s Techniques & the Dragon Tiger Wushu Kungfu Perform
Face Painting
Eating Mooncakes
Cutting out Hand-crafted Dragons
Having observed the joy it brings to the students, families, and friends who attended the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, the Chinese club and Dr. Fu aim to continue hosting this annual event. Their goal is to keep the tradition of hosting the Mid-Autumn celebration alive.
If you want to know more about the Radford Chinese Club and Asian Pop Culture Club, check out their Instagrams @radfordchineseclub & @asianpopcultureclub
[PC: Dr. I-Ping Fu and Bria]