After a long month of being in school, you must be tired. What you really need, is a break from school and a break from work. Well, just in luck, the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner, and SAS celebrated this festival by giving students a four-day break! It was probably a much-needed break that you haven’t had in a long while. Well, this holiday is not simply just a break; it is a festival that has a great story and culture behind it. For those who miss the Mid-Autumn Festival and for those who simply do not know about this significant Chinese cultural festival, don’t worry, The Echo has you covered.
The festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon of the lunar calendar. The night of the Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally celebrated with friends and families under the shimmering circle of light at night eating delicious mooncakes and sipping tea. Just like the Western world that has Thanksgiving, us Chinese have our own way of celebrating our appreciation for what we have, too. Ms. JZ Jiang from the SAS Chinese Department says, “ The Mid-Autumn Festival is an important Festival in China. The whole idea behind this festival is so that people can be thankful for what they have, for their parents, and for their family.” The Mid-Autumn festival celebrates the concepts of gathering, thanksgiving, and praying. Families and friends get together on this special day just to be in each other’s company and to watch the moon, a symbol of harmony and unity.
Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the most significant and valued traditions of this festival. Many of the students in SAS understand and actually practice these traditions with their own families. In Chinese culture, the round shape symbolizes reunion. Thus, the sharing and eating of mooncakes by families during this festival symbolizes the unity of the family. In order to aid our appreciation and understanding of this tradition, SAS’s Chinese teachers prepared a special treat for all of their students. Ms. JZ Jiang says, “Through the making mooncakes, we hope that our students will be able to understand the significance of this tradition. We hope to help them understand the symbol that the mooncakes stands for in this important Chinese Festival.”
Students learned to make mooncakes from scratch using the ingredients that the teachers prepared. They had a choice of making either lotus- or red bean-flavored mooncakes. Students often take this time for granted as a ‘chill’ class or a class where they do not have to do any work. But teachers do not simply take the time off teaching just so that students get a relaxing day without any work. The whole purpose behind this activity was to help students get in touch with their Chinese roots and embrace the culture. Ms. Holly Lin from the SAS Chinese Department says, “We chose this hands-on activity so that students can actively engage and learn about this Festival. In the past, we bought mooncakes for students to eat and share. But such methods proved to be less educational as students did not really learn much just from eating. We find a hands-on activity to be much more engaging and interesting for both the students and teachers. ”
So what do SAS students really think about this festival?
“I think that this Festival is really about spending time with your family. Our parents often look forward to this time of the year to celebrate with us. But we often take this time for granted and dismiss the idea. I think that it is sad and that we should try to remember and embrace the importance of family and unity--the whole idea behind this Festival,” says Angela Ma, a junior from SAS.
Nicole Wong, a junior, says, “I feel like it’s a traditional holiday that people in [our] modern society celebrate only because it is the tradition, not because they truly appreciate the core values.”
As an international school, SAS hopes to welcome diversity and embrace traditions of all cultures. One of the main benefits of being in an international school for SAS students is the exposure that everyone gets to the different traditions that different people hold dear to heart. Being and living in China is not enough until you embrace and truly appreciate the culture and traditions being this great country.
Andrea Foo
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| Photo from The Beijinger |
Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the most significant and valued traditions of this festival. Many of the students in SAS understand and actually practice these traditions with their own families. In Chinese culture, the round shape symbolizes reunion. Thus, the sharing and eating of mooncakes by families during this festival symbolizes the unity of the family. In order to aid our appreciation and understanding of this tradition, SAS’s Chinese teachers prepared a special treat for all of their students. Ms. JZ Jiang says, “Through the making mooncakes, we hope that our students will be able to understand the significance of this tradition. We hope to help them understand the symbol that the mooncakes stands for in this important Chinese Festival.”
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| Taken by Simple Edibles Club |
So what do SAS students really think about this festival?
“I think that this Festival is really about spending time with your family. Our parents often look forward to this time of the year to celebrate with us. But we often take this time for granted and dismiss the idea. I think that it is sad and that we should try to remember and embrace the importance of family and unity--the whole idea behind this Festival,” says Angela Ma, a junior from SAS.
Nicole Wong, a junior, says, “I feel like it’s a traditional holiday that people in [our] modern society celebrate only because it is the tradition, not because they truly appreciate the core values.”
As an international school, SAS hopes to welcome diversity and embrace traditions of all cultures. One of the main benefits of being in an international school for SAS students is the exposure that everyone gets to the different traditions that different people hold dear to heart. Being and living in China is not enough until you embrace and truly appreciate the culture and traditions being this great country.
Andrea Foo
