When the moon gets full...

On September 25, the International Students and Scholars Organization and the Confucius Institute at Alfred University jointly organized a cooking party and the Moon Festival celebration at Susan Howell Hall.

The Moon Festival is a traditional Asian festival. It is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is around late September or early October. The Moon Festival is also known as Mid-Autumn Festival in Asian cultures. On the day of the Moon Festival, the moon is at its fullest and brightest. Since the round shape of the moon symbolizes completeness and togetherness in Asian cultures, the Moon Festival is a celebration of unity with friends and family.

At the cooking party, members of ISSO prepared a range of cuisines. “I had so much fun cooking with people from different cultures. Now I know how to make sushi,” said Eugene Chan, a sophomore from Hong Kong.

At 6 p.m., crowds gathered around the Chinese calligraphy and mooncake workshop tables.

“It is great learning how to write my own name in Chinese. I love it!” said junior Goodluck Anaso, who had fun at the calligraphy workshop. On the other side of the room, some students were banging the tables with mooncake molds. “Welcome to the mooncake workshop,” said Xiang Li, a sophomore from China, “we are making mini mooncakes with these wooden molds.” As interesting as it seems, participants enjoyed it a lot. “Making the mooncakes is really fun, but eating them is even better!” said senior Colby Brunet, eating his freshly-made mooncake.

Tai Chi master Kai Hu from the China University of Geosciences marked nightfall by demonstrating a full set of Tai Chi exercises, wowing the audience.

“It is amazing! I like how her body movements blend into the music so perfectly. This is my first time watching a Tai Chi performance, and I love it,” said Linh Viet Do, a first-year from Vietnam.

Participants raved about the event, and Janice Cheung, the president of ISSO, was happy. “I am glad people are excited about this event," she said. "This means that they are interested in learning and experiencing new cultures. This is the reason for the creation of ISSO – to bring people together regardless of their differences.”

Andy Olin, the public relations officer of the ISSO of Alfred State College, showed equal satisfaction with the event. “The Moon Festival celebration is successful on many levels," he said. "It is fun, educational and is a great step in bringing students from Alfred University and Alfred State College together.”

At 9 p.m., the celebration ended in roars of laughter. “It was a happy, unifying night,” said Charles Tang, the secretary of ISSO.

ISSO will be holding several events throughout the remainder of the semester, such as (GET LIST OF EVENTS HERE).