2nd Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival A Success

The Chinese community welcomed the new season with the 2^nd Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration yesterday, Sept. 10, bringing family and friends together for one of the most important festivals on the Chinese calendar. The event took place at Marlboro High School, with dozens of residents participating from 2pm until 4pm. The event brought Chinese culture, folklore and fun family activities to the township of Marlboro.

The first hour of the festival involved traditional foods served inside of the high school. One of the most important pieces served at the festival was a traditional dish known as Moon Cake. Committee member Ann Wang explained how this cake symbolizes a folk tale that tells of the Yuan dynasty and the overthrow of Mongolian rulers. The story tells of how moon cake was used to hide messages between people, coordinating the revolt. Now, moon cake is one of the most traditional foods of the mid-autumn festival.

The second hour of the event included outdoor activities, including a kite flying competition. With residents bringing kites of all kinds including birds, dragons and traditional triangles, children were given numbers and judged based on the height, stability, effort and time the kite staying in the air.

Also in attendance as kite-flying judges were Christopher Dean who is running for Marlboro town council and Craig Marshall running for town mayor, as well as Board of Education member Vickie Dean. Representatives of the American Council Society were also accepting donations at the festival for their next event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

This year, the festival was sponsored by Fidelity Chinese School, Huaxia Chinese School South, Monmouth Chinese School, OCM Jireh Church and Marlboro High School. Members of the Monmouth Chinese School, especially Tina Woo, explained that this event was a way to teach children in the community about their culture while also having fun and spending time with family and friends. If you missed your chance to attend the festival yesterday, be sure to check out next year’s 3^rd Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.