In 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, was officially named a public holiday in China. 17 years later and thousands of miles away, the holiday has become one of Asia’s most prominent harvest festivals and a tradition shared in communities like Cherry Hill.
The holiday is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month, using the lunar calendar. This year’s date fell on Oct. 6, and in accordance, Hung Vuong Plaza held a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration of its own on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 12 to 3 PM.
The event was organized by the Asian American Alliance of South Jersey (AAASJ) in collaboration with other Asian groups, such as the Vietnamese American Cultural & Educational Center (VACEC). In its creation, the idea came from the AAASJ’s annual scholarship program, in which they award 3-5 students for their volunteer contributions to the Asian community. What began as a fundraising project for this event evolved into Cherry Hill’s first Mid-Autumn Festival—an event aimed not only at supporting scholarships with its raised funds, but also at celebrating and sharing heritage.
“It’s also a great way of getting the community together,” said Sally Tong, one of the festival’s organizers at the AAASJ. “We want our children, the [younger] generations, to know there is a nice ceremony that we celebrate.”
The actual event featured a row of food and activity tables, along with performances including a martial arts display by the Kempo Family Fitness and a traditional lion dance performance by the South Jersey Lion Dance Troupe—highlights that undoubtedly drew the biggest crowd in the event. The feedback for such an event has been largely positive, with the AAASJ’s partnerships with other stores and restaurants in the Hung Vuong Plaza, as well as Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleischer, who stopped by to show his support.
“I think it’s important that we support all of our residents, regardless of their background and where they come from,” Fleischer said. “Especially in today’s climate, I’m very pleased to be here with all of our Asian residents and friends.”
One of the event’s best features was the inclusivity of its featured tables and organizations. While the Mid-Autumn Festival did originate in China, it has grown into and still remains an important tradition for several different Asian cultures. Many of the event’s tables reflected this, as many were run by Asian organizations or student volunteers that offered various cultural activities such as lucky-knot making and Play-Doh mooncakes for children. The event’s blend of cultural organizations and performances helped build the cultural appreciation conveyed throughout the celebration.
Nevertheless, that isn’t to say that the event wasn’t without its own shortcomings, and I personally found the event to be surprisingly underwhelming. Perhaps it was my own preconception of what a festival would look like—spacious, outdoor areas with individual tents and tables scattered about—that had made its reality, an event on a much smaller scale located in the confines of a busy food market, a little disappointing and quite disorienting. To be held in one of Cherry Hill’s most popular Asian food markets during its most popular times, while offering an advantage with its ability to attract interest with the store’s customers, ultimately made it feel chaotic and awkward. It’s only natural, therefore, that the festival lacked the atmosphere characteristic of a festival and felt more like a quick-stop, side event for shoppers.
Still, as it was the AAASJ’s first attempt at hosting such an event, the effort that went into it is admirable. With the limited hosting space, the organizers made the most of what they had and made it into a fun festival for the community. Ultimately, while there were aspects that could have been improved upon, in retrospect, it was the heart and meaning behind the festival—sharing a tradition and heritage with the community, and celebrating together—that ultimately made it a positive experience.
“It’s been well observed and well organized. We were trying to do more of this,” Tong said. “The location could be slightly different, but…I think it’s a good way of keeping our cultures for our next generation.”
With such positive feedback and support from the community, the AAASJ plans to continue hosting the Mid-Autumn Festival in the years to come. With this year’s experience and a future open to new possibilities, there is much to look forward to in seeing what the next few years of the Mid-Autumn Festival have to offer to Cherry Hill.