Come for the mooncakes, stay for the mooncakes.

Although the solar calendar is currently filled with midterms, the Chinese Student Club is embracing the lunar calendar’s Mid-Autumn Festival instead. The Mid-Autumn Festival, held every August 15 according to the lunar system, began as a celebration of the autumn harvest but is now a cultural holiday held across China. The actual Mid-Autumn Festival was this past Monday, but the Sunday before that, the Chinese Student Club hosted their Mid-Autumn Festival Social in celebration. Two Bwog staff writers, Elisabeth and Emma, attended the event to learn more about the club and, of course, eat mooncakes. 

The Chinese Student Club (CSC) is a student-run organization that hosts various events throughout the year intended to promote Chinese culture at Columbia. According to one of the club’s vice presidents, the Mid-Autumn Festival Social is one of the club’s smaller events. Despite this, the room on Sunday was still filled with approximately 40 students. The attraction of the evening was the snacks offered: mooncakes, rice crackers, and Hi-Chews. In the background, the club screened Over the Moon, a film based on the Chinese legend of the moon goddess Chang’e. 

The club’s largest event is the upcoming Night Market, which celebrates student artists and brings Chinese vendors to Columbia’s campus. This year, the Night Market is on Friday, October 24, from 6 to 10 pm on Low Plaza. Future events also include a food festival and a fashion show. 

Treasurer Jenny Deng (CC ‘27) reflected on how she grew up celebrating Chinese holidays with her family. Because she attended a predominantly white high school, coming to the CSC and getting to be with so many fellow Chinese students has enabled her to connect to her heritage in new ways. Co-Vice President Anita Lin (CC ‘27) further added that CSC contains students from a spectrum of Chinese backgrounds, from international students to those of mixed heritage. Although CSC predominantly attracts students of Chinese descent, they welcome all interested students, such as the two of us who attended on Bwog’s behalf.

Elisabeth’s experience:

I attended this event with very little knowledge of Chinese culture, but I was quickly greeted with warmth and openness from every CSC member we spoke to. I had the opportunity to try my first mooncake, which was unlike most of the pastries I have had before but delicious nonetheless. The filling was rich, and the pastry was not particularly sweet. The event itself was casual in structure, so the room was filled with pleasant chatter and introductions. For those seeking community, I feel that the environment of CSC is absolutely conducive to connection.    

Emma’s experience:

Although I am Korean American, I grew up in southwest China and hold many Chinese traditions dear, so I was excited to celebrate Mid-Autumn with the CSC. In the small tourist town where I grew up, families pass the Mid-Autumn Festival by exchanging mooncakes, as is typical for most of China. However, the mooncakes baked in my town are thin, dark, oily, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, unlike the thick, golden cakes more typically seen. At the CSC Mid-Autumn Social, the latter were served, so the event wasn’t exactly a taste of home for me. However, I still enjoyed nibbling the traditional mooncakes and celebrating an ancient festival that has become part of my story. I would highly recommend the event to any Chinese background students curious for a taste from their own culture.

More information about the CSC can be found at their website and Instagram. 

Mooncake via Wikimedia Commons