CJ Day
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association held their annual Mid-Autumn Festival last Saturday. The festival is the second most important date on the Chinese calendar, just behind Chinese New Year. The CSSA holds this festival every year to both celebrate the harvest, as well as to connect with other students at the University of Wyoming.
“It’s a way to honor the traditional fabric of Chinese culture,” said Shibiao Wu, a member of the CSSA who helped to put on the event. “It’s a great way for us to build a connection with the university community, and meet a lot of people who we otherwise wouldn’t.”
To commemorate the festival, the CSSA served authentic Chinese fare, like mooncakes, pastries traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Exchange students from China also spoke to the crowd about their experiences in Laramie, and how important the Mid-Autumn Festival is to Chinese culture as a whole.
The festival seemed to be a big draw for those interested in Chinese culture. Subash Kattel, a community member, brought his young daughter to the event to help her learn about different cultures.
“To me, these events are all about meeting different people,” said Kattel. “I
love being able to bring a small child to these events, to get them to
socialize with people from all walks of life.”
Many students came to the event as well, either as an end to the day’s Homecoming events, or as a way to fill a Saturday night. Taylor Rodeman spent all day working on floats and at the football game, and came to the event to enjoy something different.
“I try to come to as many international festivals as I can,” said Rodeman. “While I’m in college, I want to experience a lot of different things, because I may not have the chance afterward.”
Just before the event, the Associated Students Interested in China hosted The Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe, who performed a traditional Chinese dance routine. Many in the audience were stunned by the bright colors and exuberance of the dance.
“There was so much joy in seeing people react to the dance,” said Brendan Rucinski, a member of ACIS who worked as a door greeter for the dance. “Seeing this many people interested in Chinese culture was really cool.”
Many members of ACIS are also taking some sort of Chinese language classes. To Temperance Schultz, going to language classes is only half the work necessary.
“It doesn’t help to just learn a language, you have to learn the culture as well,” she said. “Coming to events like this is the best way to learn about that culture.”
