Just like the Thanksgiving holiday in the States, most regions of the world, including Asia, enjoy their own unique harvest festival. Some of those celebrated in Asian countries are the Mid-Autumn Festival (Mooncake Festival; celebrated largely in China), Chuseok (Hangawi; celebrated in South Korea), The Water and Moon Festival (Bon Om Touk; celebrated in Cambodia), Tsukimi (Otsukimi; celebrated in Japan), and many other full-moon related fall holidays. Most of these festivals are huge in their respective countries, and many spend their time with their family members enjoying the country’s traditional food.
Karen Tse (sophomore, nursing), from Hong Kong, agrees with this as she describes the Mid-Autumn Festival season as a time for celebration and dinner with her family. Tse also adds that she eats Tang yuan, a Chinese sweet dumpling, as a symbol of a complete family. Her family concludes the dinner by eating traditional and modern mooncakes and lighting lanterns.
Annie Cao (senior, biology), from China, shares a similar family tradition to Tse: making dumplings and eating mooncakes with her family members. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival took place from September the 19th to the 21st, the main event being on the 21st. Cao spent time with her family over the weekend before the actual festival day. Cao adds that she “shared mooncake” with her friends at Andrews and “sent good wishes” to her family and friends on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Korean communities enjoyed Chuseok, which also happens on the same date as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chuseok is often labeled as “민족 최대의 명절,” meaning “Biggest national holiday of the people (in Korean).” Fittingly, Koreans celebrate Chuseok for almost a week as they visit and eat with their family members. They also conduct memorial services called Charye, where the family asks for good luck in front of the table filled with food prepared for their ancestors. Although a large majority of the people continue to take part in Charye, its practice is slowly decreasing over time. This is because women are usually the ones to prepare a massive amount of food, yet they don’t get the chance to actually participate in Charye. Now, people are beginning to spend the holidays in a way that’s more enjoyable and equal for everyone.
To let Andrews students experience a healthy and supportive Chuseok communion, KASA hosted a dinner at the Living Springs Fellowship last Sunday, October 3, for students to enjoy the Korean culture and food, including Songpyeon (a type of traditional rice cake) that most Koreans make and eat during the holiday season.
However, it should be noted that KASA’s dinner is a unique case. Andrews students often find it hard to feel the same exciting atmosphere on campus that they typically enjoy in their home communities when it comes to Asian festivals and celebrations. When asked how they have seen the AU community enjoying this festival, Cao and Tse answered that they did not hear anything about it on campus. This is surprising, considering the importance of these holidays in their countries. There could be many factors influencing the lack of knowledge and fanfare surrounding these events–and perhaps more discussions can happen on campus, addressing ways to make Asian festivals at 日韩AV more of an active and immersive experience.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 日韩AV. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 日韩AV or the Seventh-day Adventist church.