On Friday, September 25, three student groups held the K-12 Mid-Autumn Festival in the FMC: Hallyu, the Korean culture club; Tang, the Chinese culture club; and Asian Society, the Pan-Asian culture club. Celebrated by many East Asian countries, the Mid-Autumn Festival honors traditional harvest and family reunion under the full moon, and falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. “One of our goals was to make the event something the broader Milton community could experience,” Asian Society Co-head Leo Xie ’27 said.
The event kicked off with introductions from the co-heads of Hallyu, Tang Club, and Asian Society, who shared personal anecdotes, traditional poetry, and the festival’s origin: the legend of Chang’e. Attendees then enjoyed traditional foods catered by the restaurants bb.q Chicken and Cathay Pacific. Foods included fried rice, fried chicken, spring rolls, and more. Desserts, purchased at H Mart, included mochi, green tea, and mooncakes—coming in red-bean, red-date, and salted egg yolk flavors. Following the dinner, faculty children enjoyed coloring sheets and fan-decorating workshops in the FMC classrooms, while community members sang karaoke in the common space.
Many called the event a success. Hallyu Co-head Elizabeth Sim ’27 thought it was “beautiful seeing the cultures come together and overlap.” All the activities were “festive and celebratory.” Tang Co-head Aimee Li ’28’s highlight of the night was watching Herman Xu ’33 sing “Satisfied” from Hamilton, a performance that earned a standing ovation from the audience. Isabel Luo ’29 echoed this sentiment when she described the singing as an “incredible, incredible performance that made the entire night.” She added that “everyone was super comfortable with going onstage to karaoke.” Samuel Breyer-Essiam ’28, who had never celebrated the festival before, had a “great experience” and was “pleasantly surprised by the red-bean mooncakes.” The event gave him a chance to “experience new cultures” and “learn about [his] peers’ traditions.”
Initially, Hallyu partnered with the Astronomy Club to coordinate a moon-watching session outside of the FMC, as the club could provide and set up a telescope. However, due to the Nor’easter that lasted from September 22 to 29, the rain and clouded skies led to the activity’s cancellation. Li also noted that “since people weren’t able to sit outside, we had to relocate some groups to sit on the second floor of the FMC instead.” Tobias Kim ’27 stated that “the telescoping would’ve been cool, but we still made the most out of [the event].”
Xie felt that “celebrating [Mid-Autumn] with Asian Society and the community recreates that feeling of being at home.” What stood out to him was how “people who came were not only members of the organizing clubs, but students and faculty from different backgrounds.” The festival holds cultural significance for many community members. Kim said the Mid-Autumn Festival is “a way to appreciate giving,” as well as “a chill, week-long holiday where [he] meets relatives from both sides.” Sim, who grew up in Beijing with a Korean family, said she celebrated with her family, where she enjoys foods such as pear, rice-cake soup, and mooncake. Director of Equity and Inclusion Melissa Lawlor tasked Hallyu with leading the Mid-Autumn Festival planning process. “We started planning last spring. Then, we held one meeting with Tang and Asian Society before the school year ended, and one right before the festival,” Kim said. The meetings covered food, workshop plans, and presentations. Tang and Asian Society mainly helped with setup, food serving, and cleanup.
Though the rain kept the moon out of sight, the night’s celebration filled the FMC with singing and laughter.