Sixteen-year-old Yuki Xu is the first to admit that nothing beats the Mid-Autumn Festival in China. She said there’s no escaping the music, the decorations, or the flow of mooncakes.
“You’re just immersed in the culture,” she said.
Philly’s Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival, meanwhile, spans Arch through Vine Streets along 10th Street — so not quite on the same scale as China, though there is a mooncake-eating competition. Still, Xu and others said the contrast made them cherish Philly’s festivities all the more.
In its 28th year, the festival once again drew thousands, with organizer Asian Americans United expecting to have a final count of about 7,000 attendees. The day featured a full schedule of Beijing opera, Taiko drumming, and kung fu demonstrations. Volunteers attended craft tables for zodiac mask making, lantern cutting, and folding paper fans adorned with small flowers made of colorful tissue paper.
» READ MORE: Eight things to know about the Mid-Autumn Festival in Philly’s Chinatown
Cindy Jiang, 17, helped children and adults gently trace over Chinese characters with black paint at a calligraphy station. The finished pieces wished people a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Calligraphy is an art style that is difficult to pass down,” said Jiang. “That’s why we have it here, we want it to keep spreading.”
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival. And it’s been celebrated in Asia for thousands of years, usually on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is brightest. It’s similar to Thanksgiving, a day for families to gather.
Passing down traditions to people who’ve never been to China or haven’t visited in a long time was cited by several parents bringing their children to the festival.
“In our generation, it’s hard to keep up these traditions,” said Michael Trieu, 39, who with his wife was cutting out lanterns with their children, ages 5 and 7.
Families said that between work and…
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