On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) and the Chinese Students & Scholars Association (CSSA) hosted the on-campus Mid-Autumn Festival event. The Skyline Community gathered in the Inter-Cultural Center to bring this festival to those who celebrate.
This event is centered around a tradition that is largely celebrated in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. It is meant to celebrate the autumn harvest and family. Many families celebrate in their homes with food specific to their regions. The most common food that they showcase is mooncakes.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated differently depending on the region a person is from. The core values and beliefs are similar. However, there are differences in food during the family dinner. Some people celebrate with their mooncakes being savory or meat-filled while others have sweet mooncakes.
A mooncake tasting was included in the event where the varieties of mooncakes were showcased. Student and staff participants of all backgrounds tried the different foods. Lam stated she was “surprised that students wanted to try the different types of mooncakes.”
People who celebrate this tradition at home also shared how their families recognize its importance. It was initially started last year to bring this aspect of Chinese culture to the Skyline community. Kelly Li, program services coordinator and event organizer in the Global Learning Programs, spoke about the importance of why this event was started. It was meant to be a way to bring this tradition that many Chinese students celebrate at home to Skyline.
She also stated that she wanted the Skyline Chinese students to feel at home.
“This type of event meets Skyline College’s beliefs and celebrates the culture and brings the tradition alive,” said Li.
Co-organizer Nancy Lam, stated she felt “younger generations might lose a sense of belonging” and keeping them informed and familiar with the different ways this cultural tradition has been celebrated.
From an international student’s perspective, student organizer and leader of CSSA Jiaxuan Qiao, felt this event helped build a community for other Chinese students.
“I grew up in China and celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival every year,” Qiao said. “I came to the U.S. a year ago and my family is in China.”
Being able to share and create festivals like these allows connection between students and makes it feel more like home for international students. Qiao stated “as an international student and president of the Chinese club, we got a lot of new members. The event had a positive effect on students by growing the community for students of Chinese descent.
Li also stated that by bringing this event to campus, she felt she had a stronger sense of connection and belonging. Being able to teach her daughter as well as the rest of campus about a celebration that is dear to her.
In the twenty years Lam had been a part of the Skyline community, she felt this year had a very positive impact on the students and they were able to reach many students with different backgrounds. She hopes to bring more Chinese festivities to campus in the future. Student members of CSSA helped in event planning, volunteering, food distribution and participation. They hope to get the word out of their group and share their culture with the community. CSSA is a relatively new club and this event served as a way for student leaders to show their leadership and to spread their heritage and culture.
CSSA plans to host an event in celebration of the Lunar New Year around the beginning of February and host meetings twice a month where they invite any students who would like to assist in the planning.
