USC celebrates mid-autumn festival


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The Chinese Students and Scholars Association held a celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday that attracted more than 1,000 community members. (Photo courtesy of Mengjia Zhang)

This past weekend, USC community members joined observers around the world in celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, a yearly fête characterized by a full moon, said to be at its brightest and fullest size in the middle of the autumn harvest. Traditionally, family and friends connect and celebrate the festival, which landed on Saturday this year, by carrying and displaying lanterns that symbolize lighting one’s way to good fortune, and by enjoying mooncakes — traditional pastries characteristic of the festival.

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association started off a series of festivities in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival Friday, when more than 1,000 students enjoyed dance and musical performances and partook in a variety of activities, such as diabolo, a juggling object derived from the Chinese yo-yo; fortune telling; and shuttlecock kicking, a traditional sport similar to foot badminton. 

Free mic sessions allowed students to share their thoughts about the festival and give wishes to the people they love. The event featured collaborations with other student organizations, including the CreSCendo Music Club, and two consulates from the Chinese Embassy of Los Angeles attended the festivities.

The festival provided an opportunity for students of Asian descent to connect with their heritage at their home-away-from-home, while others had the opportunity to learn about Asian cultures and traditions. 

Students also celebrated the festival through organized events, such as the one organized by three RAs at McCarthy Honors College. (Photo courtesy of Mengjia Zhang)

CSSA president Betty Sun, a senior majoring in business administration, said the most striking moment of the event was when a singer sang a song familiar to many members of the Chinese community. The song drew the attendees to the center of the event, where they sang together. 

“That’s basically the meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival — that people get to gather together and celebrate together and give support and love to each other,” Sun said.

Sun also noted the luck that it rained the day of the festival. 

“In Chinese culture and traditions, rain is a really good thing,” Sun said. “It means good fortune; it also means money. So we consider it as a really good sign.”

Alvin Chang, a junior majoring in civil engineering, said he celebrated the festival with friends.

“I had a quick potluck with a couple of friends and we had a good time just chatting, socializing and we had some mooncakes which was really nice,” Chang said. “That was pretty similar to what we tend to do back home, at least for me.” 

A performer at the CSSA event on Friday sang a song familiar to many members of the Chinese community and attendees sang along. (Photo courtesy of Yitong Zhang)

Other students who celebrated the festival both back home and at USC echoed similar experiences in celebrating through conversation and food to connect with their loved ones. The main difference between celebrations at home and at USC was who they were celebrating with — family back home versus their “family” of friends at USC. 

Students also celebrated the festival through organized events. At McCarthy Honors College, three resident assistants organized the McCarthy Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration. The RAs invited residents from all floors to attend and gather in the courtyard to share in conversation as they enjoyed an array of Asian treats — such as pineapple buns, egg tarts and mooncakes — and decorated paper lanterns. 

Nicole Song, a senior studying cognitive science, was one of the RAs involved in organizing the McCarthy event, which she helped initiate after connecting with RAs of Chinese descent from different floors who had all celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with their families and hoped to emulate the celebration at USC for the residents. Around 120 residents attended the event.

“Everyone really liked the food and really appreciated having a space on campus to celebrate,” Song said. “So overall, we were really happy with the event and we were very glad and excited that residents enjoyed it and that we were able to do exactly what we hoped to do.”

Later this week, the Chinese American Student Association and the Taiwanese American Student Association will host a joint Mid-Autumn Festival event Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Taper Hall. 

“It’s about providing an opportunity and a space for people to socialize, make friends, and have fun and just participate and learn about Chinese culture along the way,” said Jason Wang, a junior majoring in business.

All USC students are invited to join the event, where attendees are invited to eat and make their own mooncakes, and play games.