The Asian Student Association (ASA) held their annual Chinese Moon Festival on Friday, Sept. 13 in the international dorm hall, Woolridge. Students had the opportunity to play a traditional Chinese dice game called Bo Bing to win prizes from Chinese candies to ancient Chinese good luck coins.
In the Chinese culture, the moon festival is actually called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival got its American name because of the celebration’s association with the full moon on this night, as well as the traditions of moon worship and moon viewing.
The Moon Festival has been celebrated since the Shang dynasty 1600–1046 B.C., which makes it a celebration that is over 3,000 years old. Along with worshiping the moon, the festival celebrates the gathering of family and friends, giving thanks for the harvest, and praying for family and good fortune.
Shelby Craig, a secondary math and special education major and the ASA president, said, “[This event] is a way for us to express Chinese culture.” The ASA uses events like the Chinese Moon Festival to spread and share Asian culture on LHU and making the campus more cultural and inclusive. Be on the lookout for their other events this semester.
