ISP News

There was a warm party on 12th September, which was held for the international students to celebrate the Mid-autumn festival and to cheer 5 girls: Selina, Yihan, Angelica, Susan and Sherry who are turning to 18 years old. The party was filled up with crowd of students have come and enjoyed fruit, snacks, and obviously snow skin mooncakes. We hope the Mid – autumn festival party will contribute an action to keep and harmonize the Asian culture as well as to soothe homesick of every international student who is living far-away from their family.

Did you know?

Every year, on the 15th of the 8th month of Lunar Year calendar, most of Asian countries celebrate the Mid-autumn festival as a culture. As this time of the year in Asia, the Moon is at its roundest and brightest. 

In Chinese culture, on the festival day, family members gather to offer sacrifice to the moon, appreciate the bright full moon, eat moon cakes, and express strong yearnings toward family members and friends who live afar. In addition, there are some other customs like playing lanterns, and dragon and lion dances in some regions.

Vietnamese share the same culture as Chinese; however, the Mid-autumn festival is also the big day of children. The adults celebrate the day and cheer children up by making or buying the beautiful lanterns for they can play under moon light, taking them to lion dancing performance or preparing a big party with lots of fruits; cakes, mooncakes for them can enjoy with friends.

The Japanese also celebrate the festival. The custom of appreciating the moon while holding a party formed, named appropriately “Moon Appreciation Party. Japanese people eat Tsukimi Dango on the Tsukimi Festival, a kind of white soft pastry made of glutinous rice. 

Mid-Autumn Festival is a big event in Korea, also called “Thanksgiving Day (Chuseok)” by local people. On the day, Korean eats Songpyeon – a kind of Korean traditional rice cake.

In India, during this period is the harvest festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin (September–October), which is called Sharad Purnima

In Cambodia, it is more commonly called “Full Moon Festival” by locals. Many Cambodians celebrate this festival as it is believed that exchanging moon cake during this time is thought to bring luck and prosperity.