By Wanjiku Mbugua

On Thursday, September 21, 2023, students of the Chinese Club and the Confucius Classroom at USIU-Africa celebrated the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. It is a day for friends and family to gather, offer thanks for the fall harvest, and pray for longevity and good fortune. This holiday falls on the day of a full moon. Traditionally, the festival was a time to enjoy the successful reaping of rice and wheat with food offerings made in honor of the moon. Today, it is still an occasion for outdoor reunions among friends and relatives to eat mooncakes and watch the moon, a symbol of harmony and unity.

This event promoted student engagement between learners of Chinese Language at USIU-Africa. The students engaged in various activities such as, storytelling, singing and Chinese folk art (Chinese paper cutting, Chinese paper folding and opera face painting). The festival celebration was also an opportunity for students to sample mooncakes that are round in shape and are the most famous delicacies eaten during the festival. The mooncakes symbolize a family reunion. In Chinese culture, roundness symbolizes completeness and togetherness. A full moon symbolizes prosperity and reunion for the whole family.