The Asian Students Association held its Mid-Autumn Festival on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Also known as the Mooncake Festival, the event serves as a way for members of the ASA to gather as a community to celebrate the festival, and learn more about its history.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated throughout the Asian countries. President of the Association, Phoebe Trinh ‘23 describes that the meaning of the festival “is to worship the moon and celebrate the harvest.”
The Mooncake holds symbolic meaning in the festival. Trinh says that “Mooncakes not only symbolize the harvest moon but also represent family reunion and togetherness.”
Mooncakes are round or square pastries that are traditionally filled with lotus seed paste or red bean paste, while modern mooncakes may contain other fillings such as chocolate, fruits or nuts.
The event featured additional food and drinks such as spring rolls, fried rice and green tea. Activities included a Kahoot trivia session, tug of war, a video about the legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival and how to celebrate it, as well as lantern making and prizes.
Students who attended the event are excited to experience more in-person events to be able to create connections with other members of the club, as well as to be able to become more active members through attending these events.
Junior student Ibnath Saboor says, “We’re more excited about having more of these types of events, especially because we’re in person, we’re able to have a more interactive experience as members in the club.”
Karla Castro ‘24 echoes Saboor’s sentiments, “I’m excited because we’re able to make more friends now that the events are in person.”
In an interview with Trinh, she describes the association and how it is involved on campus.
“We [ASA] are a part of Fairfield United, and support and encourage diversity and inclusion on campus.” She continues, “The association, itself, is established to represent the Asian students’ culture and their voice on campus.”
Trinh explains some goals of the association, stating “Through our inclusive and culturally significant events, we make it our goal to help our Asian students who are far away from home, feel like Fairfield is a second home.”
She goes into further detail about the association’s mission, “Our ultimate goal is to promote diversity and the inclusion of all Asian students on campus and to spread Asian rich culture to the students, faculty, and staff. I believe with that, our campus would be more diverse, enriched, and be able to thrive.”
Trinh concludes by encouraging everyone to get involved with ASA and states, “Our club is open to anyone who wants to get to know Asian rich culture, food, music and tradition.” She continues that “even if you are not a member, you are still able to come and enjoy many of our traditional events/programs throughout the year.”
One of their largest events that Trinh encourages students to “look forward to in the future” is the Lunar New Year celebration.
Anyone who is interested in getting involved in the ASA or wants to know when its next event is should check out its Instagram page @ASAFairfieldU.
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