Emerson Students Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with Games and Gathering

Photos by Celia Abbott ’27

With Chinese pop music playing, warm light glowing from paper lanterns, and hanging riddles on colorful paper, Emerson students celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sunday evening. More than 50 students gathered  at the annual cultural event hosted by the Emerson Chinese Student Association (ECSA). 

“It’s a festival where families celebrate together. Normally on that day, the moon is full and which means twan yuan (‘gathering’) in China,” said Indy Huang ’29.“We can’t see our family right now, so it’s really meaningful that Chinese students can meet up together and celebrate.” 

One of the most important holidays in China, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest. This holiday represents reunion, harvest, gratitude, and moon-watching. Families usually gather under the moon, making and sharing mooncakes and celebrating the harvest in the fall.

“As the Chinese Student Association, our goal is to host traditional cultural festivals that bring Chinese students together,” said ECSA President Cynthia Xiang ’27. “For many of us, it’s about creating that sense of togetherness and completeness that the Mid-Autumn Festival represents.”

The room at 172 Tremont Street was filled with the scent of fruits from the mooncakes. Students enjoyed multiple activity tables, including ring toss, a fortune-telling booth, an extra-long chopstick bean challenge, DIY mugwort sachets and lanterns. Prizes were provided at each table, and a lottery draw for two cameras was held after students collected stamps from visiting each station. 

The fortune telling booth was one of the more popular stations as students had one-on-one conversations with a fortune teller. Students lined up to ask about their luck and uncertainties in their lives.

Xiang emphasized that ECSA hopes to see even broader participation in the future. “We’re always excited to welcome non-Chinese students who want to learn more about our traditions. It’s a great way to communicate across cultures and build new friendships.”