Chinese Language students blended art and culture to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

In the Upper School, Ms. Shang’s classes gathered last week to make oreo mooncakes in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Middle School, Ms. Huang’s classes sang songs, made mooncakes, and created traditional Chinese brush painting and calligraphy describing the cakes.

When reflecting on the Mid-Autumn Festival, a seventh-grade student wrote: 

“When I think about the Mid-Autumn Festival, I think about family, even though some are far away in Taiwan or Hong Kong and California. The moon connects us because we call each other to celebrate and bring us together from a long distance. We all share it by eating moon cakes over Facetime saying “中秋节快乐”, meaning Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. No matter the time difference of our locations, we still make time to connect and bond with each other even if it is just through a screen. This holiday isn’t just about being together, but spending quality time and having fun with the people you love the most. “

Also known as the Moon Festival and the Mooncake Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the full moon and the autumnal harvest. Festival traditions include gazing at the moon, making lanterns, eating mooncakes, and reuniting with family. 

In cultural contexts, the moon symbolizes unity, reunions, and the appreciation of nature.   It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which fell on September 17 this year (2024).