Vietnamese Student Association Hosts Annual Mid-Autumn Festival
By Alexis Doyle, Contributing Writer
Photo from a previous Mid-Autumn Festival (Photo Luca España/The Gettysburgian)
On Saturday, Sept. 10, Stine Lake transformed into a sea of red, symbolizing joy, luck, and happiness, by the red tablecloths underneath various food, and activities. Paper lanterns hung from the string of lights above Stine Lake, and students decorated miniature versions of them to take back to their dorms.
The Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) and Chinese Student and Scholar Association held the Mid-Autumn Festival, a celebration that welcomes families to revel in the work they have done and to spend time with their loved ones.
The VSA and Chinese Student and Scholar Association used tables to display activities and refreshments that signified a small part of their culture. Mooncakes, rice crackers, sweet and sour candies, milk tea, a calligraphy station, and tarot readings were offered to any student who visited the event.
Sports that are popular in Asian countries, such as badminton, were also offered next to the tables. A K-pop performance occurred later in the night.
VSA Vice President Quynh Nguyen ’23 stated that the festival “helps to promote the Vietnamese culture to the campus.”
Nguyen also praised her fellow members’ hard work. “I know [VSA] has worked hard for this. The first two weeks of school, everyone has so much going on, but everyone took time to participate and help put this together, so I’m very very grateful for all of them.”
Upon reflecting on what this night meant to her, VSA member Angel Tong ’26 said, “In general, the Asian people on campus are very homesick every day. So this helps us to remember our home, and the traditions going on, too.”
A large crowd of students from all over campus came to see and enjoy the efforts of the VSA and the Chinese Student and Scholar Association. The tarot card reading appeared to be the most popular attraction of the night, with the line drawing new people every few minutes.
“I hope everyone enjoyed the activities we had going on. It took some planning, so I hope that people were able to find out more about the Mid-Autumn festival as a celebration, but also as a part of our culture,” Nguyen said at the conclusion of the event.
