By My Ho ’21, staff writer
According to ancient Chinese, the fullest moon of the year will appear on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar and it marks an important occasion for Asian communities around the world, which includes Lebanon Valley College.
Mid-Autumn Festival first originated in China and then spread to many neighboring countries in Asia. This event traditionally honors the deities and the roundness of the moon with moon cakes, a round cake with bean and egg fillings.
At LVC, Asian communities are excited for the festival as it’s just around the corner on Sept. 24.
“Our country has a tradition,” Hyeri Cho (Sally), an international student and Global Education Club officer, said. “We make food in every Mid-Autumn Festival and we bow to our ancestors in the house. We make a dish called jeon-Korean pancakes. Our family makes bibimbap together, after bowing to ancestors, in a big bowl. It just makes every family gather and actually share and talk. It’s a really meaningful time.”
For many years, Asian Culture Club has celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with traditional mooncakes and lanterns, but this year the club plans to collaborate with Global Education Club and hopes to make the traditions more well known.
“The importance of Global Education Club is the understanding of cultures like Asian culture,” Cho said. “In the event, we’re going to serve some food and I hope all the students can understand our concept and why we’re doing this.”
LVC’s full-time undergraduates with ethnic backgrounds account for 15.5% of the total enrollment this year, so cultural events like Mid-Autumn Festival can be very special.
“It can help the school be more aware of the international communities here and also help that community feel more welcomed by sharing those traditions, like the same way we would share with natives their traditions,” David Campbell, an actuarial science major and an international student from Honduras, said.
Through the celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival, LVC’s community hopes not only to raise awareness about Asian culture but also to encourage other inclusive events that can honor different countries and their values as well.