Three Community Leaders Reflect on the Summer Celebration
Editor note: It’s that time of the year, where the August Moon Festival serves as a reminder for all of us that the greatest riches are within our grasp. We cherish friends, embrace family, give grateful thanks, and offer humble prayers for a bountiful future. The August Moon Festival is a rich tradition that harkens back to simpler times while also adapting to changing environments and our constantly evolving sometimes difficult days. Sampan spoke with some local Bostonians about how they celebrate and what the traditions mean to them.
Cynthia Soo Hoo Principal, Josiah Quincy Elementary School
As a young child, I remember attending the annual August Moon Festival with my family. The sights were fresh and vibrant which always brought a huge smile to our faces. After the opening ceremony my body could still feel the beat of the Lion dance drums and the excitement from all the performers. My sisters and I would each pull our parents in different directions as something from every corner caught our attention, the bright fabric and mesmerizing trinkets for sale; the snapping sounds of snap pops; the aroma of tasty treats from food vendors; and who could forget the parking lot filled with kids’ amusement rides!
When we were a little older, the excitement built up as we were now some of the performers on stage! Some years it was martial arts, others it was traditional Chinese dances, we couldn’t believe that we were now part of the performances that we loved watching so much. Later as a teen I can remember waking up really early to help as a volunteer and even setting up as a vendor to fundraise for the local volleyball team that I traveled with. Nowadays, although some of the attractions have changed, it’s still a family tradition and I attend with my sisters and now their children. Sharing the tradition of the August Moon Festival in Boston’s Chinatown with the next generation and seeing the excitement through their eyes brings such joy and nostalgia!
Michael Wong, President of Chinatown Resident Association
The Mid-Autumn Festival, an esteemed tradition in Chinese culture, boasts a rich historical lineage intertwined with diverse customs. Its preservation and perpetuation stand as paramount objectives. Rooted in the ethos of familial and communal reconnection, the festival serves as a platform for venerating ancestors, expressing gratitude for their blessings, and embracing profound legends.
Regrettably, a knowledge gap regarding the historical and cultural tapestry of the Mid-Autumn Festival has emerged among the younger generation and recent immigrants. This Sunday, on the 13th, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association held a vibrant Mid-Autumn Festival celebration within the bustling precincts of Chinatown. The event will be punctuated by cultural exhibitions and an array of merchandise vendors.
Enthusiastically, I extend an invitation to partake in this festive revelry, immersing oneself in Chinatown’s effervescent ambiance. From savoring a diverse spectrum of Chinese culinary delights to the mandatory indulgence in mooncakes, the offerings promise to be truly engaging. An enduring collaboration between the Boston Chinatown Residents Association and Quincy School has historically coalesced to stage the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. Alas, the specter of the pandemic forced an unfortunate hiatus. Nevertheless, the earnest aspiration remains to resurrect these cherished festivities in the days that lie ahead.
Vanna Howard, Democratic Representative, 17th Middlesex District, Massachusetts House
Southeast Asian communities (Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian) celebrate every third Saturday in August since 1997, hundreds to thousands of people, of all ages, from around the country and the world come to Lowell, Massachusetts along the Merrimack River, to sing, dance, and watch the boat races, and celebrate water as it is celebrated in Southeast Asia after the end of the harvest season. Farmers and fishermen rely on rivers, lakes, and ponds for their means of sustenance. Water represents prosperity, life, and goodness to the Southeast Asian people. We come to the Water Festival for the blessings, food, crafts, performances, and, of course, the boat races. The annual water festival’s mission is to preserve, protect and share the cultural heritages of Southeast Asian Americans. Lowell has the second-largest Cambodian American population in the United States. The water festival has been celebrated in Southeast Asia for centuries. In Cambodia, the Water Festival is celebrated in November for three days. In the United States, we celebrate in August for one day. A Cambodian Proverb: Where there is water, there is fish.
