Meaningful, Delightful, and Bright
– Moon Festival 2017 Pre-event Essay by Francesca Angeles
Every year, most countries in East Asia celebrate the Moon Festival – a mid-Autumn, harvest, and thanksgiving celebration held on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Lunar Calendar. From the name itself, we can tell that this festival is celebrated with a full moon watching over everyone but it’s actually more than that. It’s a meaningful, delightful, and bright event that brings together families even from different ends of the world. The Moon Festival, also known as the Harvest Festival, is mostly celebrated in countries and regions such as China, Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan, but the festivity is growing as people from different countries also observe the Moon Festival even though they are miles away from their homeland.
In a world where geographical boundaries are surpassed by the growing accessibility to travel, it is inevitable for us to see the Moon Festival celebrated all-throughout the world. I interviewed Dr. John Haddad from the School of Humanities and found that he used to live in China and Hong Kong for a total of three years, and he has found meaning in the Moon Festival as this celebration brought together families over a thoughtful festivity. The over 3,000-year Moon Festival tradition is meaningful because it served as a holiday with staying power – so much has become modern but this celebration brings a primal and ancient appeal that reminds us of why we give thanks to the blessings that the universe has showered us. In this day and age, the Moon Festival is observed by many individuals and groups around the world.
Professor Jingjing Cai, also from the School of Humanities, gave insight on the Moon Festival and why it remained a delightful event. As a foodie, her best memory of the Moon Festival is the moon cake. Besides being a delicious Chinese delicacy, its round shape also symbolizes the reunion of families. Eating moon cakes under a full moon easily reminds people of how much they value and long for their families and friends especially during this celebration. The taste of the moon cake is just as delightful as the thought that it brings to those who are reminded of their families during the Moon Festival.
I also talked to one of our fellow Penn State students, Evelyn Bai, who gave her personal insight on the celebration. As an international student, she has not celebrated the Moon Festival with her family for years now and it is really heartwarming to have our Penn State community celebrate the Moon Festival altogether. I love how Evelyn pointed out how the moon serves as the bright light that reminds people of the memories they have shared with their families when they were younger.
A lot of us came from different countries with different cultures and from different walks of life but the idea of thanksgiving and reunion somehow unites everyone especially those who are away from their families. The Moon Festival may be a Chinese festivity but it has become a universal celebration where we can all share a part of ourselves to others so we can make them feel that Penn State is a home away from home.
See you on the 6th of October from 6:00 to 9:00 in the evening at the CUB Student Center for the annual Moon Festival celebration! Four students, Francesca Angeles, Gexi Guo, Mizuki Yamane and Yukun Yuan, will host the evening program. The event is sponsored by Penn State Harrisburg Global Ambassador Program and the Chinese Student Association.
May we connect more people together and bridge friendships in this awaited event!