Mid Autumn Festival Dinner at WA

Worcester Academy’s second annual Mid Autumn Festival Dinner was held on September 22nd in the Megaron. The Mid Autumn Festival is a culturally diverse celebration; people in a number of Asian countries celebrate it by gathering with their families and appreciating the moon. It is important that WA hosts this festival because it provides a space for Asian students to come together and celebrate this event with each other.

The event started with dinner; there were many different cuisines from many different Asian countries, including China, Thailand, and Korea. And of course, mooncakes, the main food of the holiday, were provided.

After the dinner there were eating competitions that everyone could participate in. The competitions varied in foods; they included spicy ramen noodles, rice crackers, and hot peppers. Many students and faculty volunteered, but only a few left the Megaron as victors.

This Mid Autumn Festival was very important to a lot of Asian students who attend Worcester Academy. 

Especially since a lot of international students are away from home during this festival, they are unable to experience and celebrate it with their family. Having this dinner helps bring students together and still have that celebration happen. Bolin Wang and Alissa Yoon, both organizers for this year’s dinner, hold this event close to their hearts. “It means identity to me,” Bolin adds. “Especially since I came to America, being able to find people to celebrate this festival with, is a privilege. Also, the people who can celebrate with me most of the time share similar identity or culture with me, so it is very special.” Alissa Yoon says, “this year with the help of BOM as well as Ms.Tseng, Ms.Im, and Mrs.Ogle, the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition were able to create the Mid-Autumn Festival Dinner. As it was structured to be more of a potluck dinner, I felt that everyone came together as a community to celebrate this tradition. Especially as a 7-day border with my parents and family being 10,000 km away, I felt that having this dinner valued my culture and importance as an Asian American in this school. I felt that with these events that celeb rate my culture and platforms like affinity groups were things I needed here to feel a sense of belonging. It just saddens me that this institution was only able to provide this my senior year. I, as a leader of APIC, want to thank everyone again for putting time and effort into making this event happen.”

The Mid Autumn Festival was a success and everyone enjoyed the laughter and mooncake-filled evening. We hope that this celebration will continue to allow Asian students to enjoy their culture, even when they’re thousands of miles away from home.