EMU’s asian pacific islander student alliance (APISA) celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival, an east asian holiday, by making lanterns and red bean cakes, while enjoying an assortment of Asian cultural dishes. This festival was celebrated within the grounds of Elmwood which was filled with many people as they came to celebrate this festival. In addition to the celebration of the festival, APISA had the pleasure of being joined by senior Rachel Tusing who offered face painting to event attendees. What is the Mid-Autumn Festival exactly? The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is one of the most significant traditional festivals in many East Asian cultures, particularly in China, Vietnam, and among various communities around the world.
This holiday is usually celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar; this festival typically falls in late September or early October. It is a time for families to come together, enjoy the beauty of the full moon, and partake in festive traditions. One of the festival’s most iconic foods, mooncakes are round pastries filled with a variety of ingredients, including red bean paste, lotus seed paste, and salted egg yolks. These cakes symbolize unity and completeness, reflecting the full moon.
Families often gift mooncakes to relatives and friends as a gesture of goodwill. During the time of celebration, attendees had the opportunity to make these said mooncakes, but rather than having lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks APISA had just the dough and already made red bean paste for them to make a red bean bun out of. The red bean buns that people had made were very delicious and left a sweet lasting taste in their mouths. APISA’s president, Junior Leah Frankenfield, shares that the red bean paste was made with just normal red kidney beans that had been cooked, and blended along with sugar and butter/coconut oil with a bit of water in a blender. Frankenfield also shares how the event went, she and APISA were very content with the turnout and involvement in the different activities that were present. The face painting station by Tusing was a great addition, it was their first time making red bean buns, so they were nervous to make them but they turned out delicious. Frankenfield also adds that people were engaged with making bean buns and overall happy APISA could provide a place for people to gather and learn a new skill and have fun. Be on the lookout for more events with APISA throughout the school year as they have a lot of fun events planned.
