The ETSU amphitheater housed students on Sept. 29 as they came together to celebrate the Asian American Student Association’s “Mid-Autumn Festival.”

The mid-Autumn festival, also known as the moon festival, is a celebration in Chinese culture of the autumn harvest and is known for its association with the full moon. The celebration is typically held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar.

“The full moon symbolizes reunion and togetherness, so during the mid-Autumn festival, families and friends will gather to admire the bright full moon, which is believed to be at its roundest and brightest on this night. This celebration emphasizes the importance of the unity and harmony of family members,” said Xinyi Guo, vice president of the Chinese Student and Scholars Association.

Students choose different snack foods including mooncakes and more. (Contributed/Aq Hanna)

Students gathered from 7 to 9 p.m. for food, games, and lantern-making. To start the night off, students flocked to the main stage for a mooncake-tasting activity. They were given six mooncakes of different fillings, sweet and savory, and had to guess the flavor of the filling. They then had the rest of the festival’s allotted time to try cultural foods and their hand at lantern-making.

“Lanterns are the most representative traditions of the mid-autumn festival. They come in many different colors, and their glow adds to their value. We also give and share mooncakes as a sign of love and kindness,” said Guo.

The Asian American Student Association and the Chinese Student and Scholars Association are both ETSU student organizations dedicated to developing Asian-American culture. The two organizations aim to promote social, cultural and academic activities among its members. They both have social media pages to provide students with event and member information: @cssa_etsu and @aasaetsu.

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