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PHOTOS: Students celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival

This year marks the first time the festival is celebrated without COVID restrictions.

By Aorui Pi
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Students wait to enter the McCarthy Quad on USC campus, lining up to check in at the entrance with a student associate from the Chinese Scholars and Students Association on Sept. 9 (Photo by Aorui Pi)

It rarely rains in Los Angeles, but a sprinkle almost halted the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival September 9 in McCarthy Quad. The festival taking place marked the first time USC students bonded together over the celebration with traditional games and mooncakes and without restrictions since 2020.

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A student checks out one of the lantern riddles. The winner who got the correct answer can earn tickets to redeem them at the reception desk. (Photo by Aorui Pi)

The Mid-Autumn festival is a traditional ritual that originated in ancient China and is celebrated in other cultures. It is meant to express people’s appreciation to the harvest moon, which represents reunion, prosperity and happiness. This year, clouds shaded the moon, but it didn’t stop the enthusiastic crowds from lining up around the quad at around 6 p.m.

“I’m kind of excited because this is actually the first rain I saw in L.A.,” said Zoe Chen, a first year graduate student, as she waited to enter. She said the rain eased the sadness and homesickness around the reunion-themed feast. “It’s just a little rain. It doesn’t matter.” Chen said with a smile.

Chen is one of the 6,300 Chinese students at USC, representing 12.8% of the student body.

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A student redeems their tickets at the reception desk for a mooncake. The tradition dessert, mooncakes, are in different colors represent different flavors including durian mango, ube rose and green tea. (Photo by Aorui Pi)

Many of these students aim to raise awareness to Asian cultures and histories. “We serve as a platform to bring all students together,” said Betty Sun, the president of the Chinese Scholars and Students Association at USC. “We aim to connect and to share our customs through all the cultural events we organize.”

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A student throws a dart at one of the culture experience areas. Participants can earn tickets by playing games and redeem them at the reception desk. (Photo by Aorui Pi)

Chinese students are not the only participants of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Students from other parts of the world also anticipate the event. “I’ve got some good friends who like to share their cultural thoughts, so I wanted to know more. Plus Mooncake,” said Datt Patel, a graduate student from west India studying computer science.

“I really enjoy exploring different cultures. … I’m also looking forward to some Indian events because [it makes me] feel at home, since I’m away from home,” said Navika Gupta, a graduate student studying digital social media. Gupta expressed her expectation to attend more cultural activities on campus.

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A student tosses a hoop at prizes. Participants can take away a prize once the hoop lands and surrounds an item. (Photo by Aorui Pi)

One of the games, kicking shuttlecock (踢毽子), caught Mayumi Katagiri’s attention.

“I’m interested in Chinese culture… and [this game] is similar but different from the Japanese one,” said Katagiri.

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Students line up in a circle and play a game of “Jianzi (毽子)” kicking a shuttlecock to each other. (Photo by Aorui Pi)

After all the festivities, the event concluded around 9 p.m. Many students stayed despite the light rain at the end.

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Students take group photos together at the event despite a light rain. (Photo by Aorui Pi)

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