Mid-Autumn Festival keeps Chinese culture thriving in Sunset Park
Marking the full moon of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the Sunset Park community held a variety of colorful celebrations to honor the Mid-Autumn Festival, a major holiday in Chinese tradition. The festival, which fell on Oct. 6 this year, symbolizes héjiā tuányuán (阖家团圆) — the joyful reunion of the whole family, including those who are far away, as all can gaze upon the same bright moon.
From the lively Mid-Autumn float parade to the heartwarming distribution of mooncakes for seniors and the thoughtfully planned qīnzǐ huódòng (亲子活动), or family activities, many people of other backgrounds — along with Chinese American children — joined in, keeping traditional Chinese culture alive and growing in the neighborhood.
Eighth Avenue Mid-Autumn Parade brings community together
More than 40 organizations and thousands of spectators, along with elected officials, came together for the Second Brooklyn Mid-Autumn Float Parade and Asian Cultural Festival, held over the first weekend of October under the theme “Full Moon Mid-Autumn.”
The parade, featuring various floats, dragon and lion dances, and drum performances, set off from the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 59th Street, headed west to Seventh Avenue, continued north to 50th Street, then turned east and returned along Eighth Avenue to its starting point and the main stage. On stage, organizers also presented traditional Chinese performances such as Fujian opera and martial arts, drawing large crowds of residents to watch.
“Although the process was a bit tiring, I feel I did something very meaningful,” said Ray Huang, one of the parade organizers and chairman of the Better Brooklyn Association. Huang said Chinese children must understand that in America there are not only Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also the Mid-Autumn Festival for “eating mooncakes and appreciating the moon.”
“Cultural inheritance is especially important for the Chinese community,” Huang added. “The power of culture can transcend boundaries, promote mutual understanding, and help integrate New York’s diverse cultures.”
Councilmember Susan Zhuang, who also joined the parade, echoed that sentiment, stressing the value of different communities coming together. “The best part of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncakes,” she said, “because they symbolize unity.”
State Senator Steve Chan said that the Mid-Autumn Festival is China’s second-largest traditional holiday and the one he loves most, full of tempting foods and scenes of children running through the streets with lanterns. “It truly is my favorite holiday!”
The mooncake tradition
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, many elected officials’ offices and community organizations distributed mooncakes to neighborhood seniors as a way to celebrate the holiday and give back to the community. For example, the Brooklyn Tuen Mun Association has done so for 13 consecutive years, distributing more than 1,000 mooncakes this year in two flavors: double-yolk and lotus seed paste.
Association president Mei Zengxin said, “During this warm and joyful holiday, we hope to send our best wishes and deep gratitude to our members and neighbors.”
In addition, the nonprofit Rainbow House (RBH) Center’s Chinese-language class hosted a unique Mid-Autumn cultural experience. During the event, children made paper lanterns and jade-rabbit decorations under their teachers’ guidance, listened to lively retellings of classic stories such as “Chang’e Flying to the Moon” and “The Jade Rabbit Making Medicine,” tried their hands at making mooncakes, and performed a short Mid-Autumn play they created themselves.
RBH Center founder Shi Qiaoyan said some students had lived in China before and already knew about the Mid-Autumn Festival, able to retell its stories on their own. “When making mooncakes, the children were very enthusiastic,” said Qiaoyan. “They divided the work and cooperated smoothly, and in the end, when they tasted their own creations, they were very pleased and happy with the results.”