Even if there wasn’t a full moon to light up Twin Lakes park for the annual Chinese Moon Festival on Saturday, Sept. 22, the joy of all those present in celebrating the arrival of fall was plenty enough to see by.
With the recent turn of weather that was just chilly enough to tempt us into thinking fall weather might actually be around the corner, there was no better time to celebrate the Moon Festival than during Family Weekend. This is one of the large traditions in China, second only to the Chinese New Year.
People of all ages sat together to see lovely vocal duos and charming trios of children make their own rendition of beautiful Chinese songs, such as “The Moon Represents My Heart.” There were even large group dances to observe such as the Qi Dance, a routine of elegant poses and movements that Lena Ajans, the executive assistant of The Confucius Institute, participated in.
“It gives us an opportunity to realize that we all celebrate similar things in different ways,” Ajans said. “This festival is meant to say, ‘Goodbye summer, welcome fall!’”
The performers wore traditional Chinese clothing, with ribbons and intricate hair pieces to match. Some of the dresses worn were bright yellow and red, the perfect colors for autumn.
The program came to a close with the sharing of mooncakes: a “traditional delicacy” that is usually only made to celebrate the Moon Festival, according to Bridget Caddell, the program coordinator of The Confucius Institute.
“The outside is made with a glutinous rice pastry and it has different kinds of fillings,” Caddell said. “Sometimes the filling is a red bean paste which is just a little bit sweet, or a taro root filling which is also a little bit sweet. In certain regions of China, they make them savory with meat fillings.”
While the mooncakes were being served, all of the spectators were invited up to the stage area, decorated with yellow and red flowers, to dance to some fast-paced Chinese songs. You know the Cha Cha Slide? It was like that, but much more graceful and without the DJ telling you to clap your hands so much. There weren’t many of us who could get the moves entirely right, but I was content to be able to catch onto a few.
As we danced under the moonlight with mooncakes in our bellies, I felt such a sense of togetherness that is admittedly hard to explain. Even the kids dancing around my feet and swinging the arms of their friends and siblings understood that this season should be one of remembering the ones we hold dear.
“Moon Festival is a time when Chinese families all come together and celebrate their time together, and they also remember the people who can’t be with them,” Caddell said, likening it to the American tradition of Thanksgiving. “It’s a very accessible holiday to understand.”
This year’s Moon Festival was the first to be hosted by four local groups, said Mid-Missouri Chinese Association President Bing Zhang. Joined by Columbia Friends of China, the Confucius Institute and the Asian Affairs Center, the groups put together this program of song and dance for everyone to enjoy.
Putting together the program takes quite a deal of work, according to Ajans. Though the festival started at 7 p.m., her day began at 2 p.m. since the groups had to start setting up the light, sound and decorations fairly early to make sure everything started in full swing. Leading up to the event, Ajans and the other members of the Qi Dance group rehearsed at least one to two days a week for six weeks in order to deliver a routine full of passion and grace. She estimated that around 200 hours of hard work made the night of celebration happen.
The smooth collaboration of the four organizations and volunteers was evident in the way this festival brought all kinds of people together in the sweetest of ways, a facet of Chinese culture that Caddell is inspired by.
“One of the things I admire about Chinese culture is the way that they work together and come together as a community. We all are involved, in some part, in embracing the culture of China and sharing that with our community here in Columbia,” Caddell said.
The embracing of Chinese culture does not stop at the Moon Festival, though.
The Confucius Institute in particular hosts free weekly children’s Chinese classes for the community, and they partner with 14 volunteers from China, Ajans said, who are interning in Columbia schools to teach Chinese language and culture. They will be here for 12 months, teaching students of all ages, from elementary school to high school. Their next big event will be the Dumpling Festival on Oct. 25.
It encourages me to see the way citizens of Columbia are promoting diversity and inclusion, especially in a place surrounded by corn fields and … more corn fields. The traditions of cultures that make up the melting pot of America deserve to be recognized; if they weren’t, how could we claim that this is a place where everyone can find a home and forge his or her own path? These events may not be exact replicas of the festivals held in China, but at least we are attempting to bring a little piece of home to students who are still adjusting to the climate of Columbia, while simultaneously enjoying a celebration entirely new to us. One of the Chinese professors Ajans works with remembers the significance of the Moon Festival from his childhood:
“One of the versions (of the festival) is that ancient Chinese farmers celebrated their harvest of crops and fruits on this day. This is also what I heard since I was a child. Therefore, for farmers, this festival is meant to say, ‘Thank God for helping us have a good harvest this year. Let’s celebrate our harvest with a rich dinner under the full moon with our family members.’”
Visit their website at confucius.missouri.edu for a full schedule of programs and a glimpse into some of the great exposure to Chinese culture they are providing to the Columbia community.
_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_
