Students scarfed down mooncakes and got a taste of Chinese culture Saturday night.
Students packed the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, in observance of the traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates the harvest and the moon.
Maggie Mei, president of the UF Chinese American Student Association, which hosted the festival, said this is one of the association’s biggest shows of the year.
“It’s a classical legend,” Mei said. “It’s like ‘The Wizard of Oz’ but in Chinese culture.”
The association planned and prepared for the festival for several months, according to John San, special events coordinator for the association.
He said more than 400 people attended.
The performance, called “Journey to the East,” mixed skits with singing, dancing and kung fu.
Dean Jaber, a member of the audience, said this was his first year involved with CASA and his first time at the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
“I was blown away by a lot of the performances, so the energy level was something that I wasn’t expecting,” Jaber said. “It definitely surprised me in a good way though.”
Siyang Lu, one of the show’s emcees, said one of the good things about CASA is the fact that it is not exclusively for Chinese or Asian students.
“We really want to spread cultural awareness,” Lu said. “That’s what this is about.”
