Mid-Autumn Festival: Bringing celebration to campus

JSO, HKSA and CASA collaborated Sept. 15 in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a well-known East Asian celebration of the moon. Credit: Amani Bayo

In a collaboration between the Japanese Student Association, Chinese American Student Association and Hong Kong Student Association, a popular East Asian holiday known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, was showcased in a celebratory reunion Sept. 15 in the Nosker Burgee Room.

Jiaen Xiao, a fourth year in chemical engineering and president of CASA, said the event was meant to bring Ohio State students together to learn about East Asian culture. Xiao said she wanted to promote cultural awareness and provide a space for students to reflect on the meaning of the holiday that originated in China.

“It's to celebrate family, the moon, livestock and harvesting,” Xiao said. “We wanted to make an event so OSU can get a piece of that.”

Xiao said because several East Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam observe this holiday, it was important to partner with other organizations representing AIPDA-identifying students to welcome more ethnic diversity.

The event filled the room beyond capacity and attendees were given a brief lesson on what the festival was all about.

Gaeun Jang, a third year in nursing and vice president of JSO, said she has seen an increase in interest with East Asian organizations because of growing media popularity.

“We're having more general body this year which is a surprise,” Jang said. “I’m thinking its because of the new popularity with anime.”

Regardless of the reason, Jang said she is excited to see so many students interested in East Asian cultures and encourages all students to get involved.