2014 San Leandro Moon Festival Asian Community Cultural Association Board of Directors: Arlene Lum, President Steven Leung, Vice-President Helena Mew, Treasurer Faye Huang, Secretary Eduardo Collaco, Director Judy Chi, Director Cimberly Eng-Tamara, Director Martin Wong, Director & Program Manager Benny Lee, Advisor Moon Festival Performances: International Cultures and Arts playing Chinese Instruments 國際文化藝術促進會 Martial Arts & Lion Dancers 武林寺 Noon Welcome & Introductions Patty Chu Dance Group MingHui School Performers Acrobat by Wu Lin XU 武林寺 George & the Cool Katz performing The Beatles Rock & Roll, Country and Elvis Award-Winning Operatic & Folk Singers Lily Hu, Fan Hung Judy Chi, Wi Wei Joe, Rebecca Wei, Sue Sheng SF Fitness & Beauty Chinese Art Group and City College of SF 三藩市"健與美"藝朮團和三藩市立大學交誼舞表演隊 聯合演出 XiaoPei Dance Academy 曉佩舞蹈学 院 Steps Styles & Spotlights presents the Mabuhay Folkloric Society Harmony Dance group 和平之音 Hawaiian Dance group with singers Ballroom Dancers led by Professor WONG WEI Eden Aoba Taiko Drummers WE ARE FAMILY by Bay Area Baptist Church lead and Guitar by Pastor Fu 华人湾区教会 The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival is a harvest festival celebrated by the Chinese and the Vietnamese. It is considered the second most important holiday behind the Lunar New Year. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar during a full moon. The festival is celebrated in different fashions across the Asian cultures, but they all share 3 significances: gathering, thanksgiving, and praying. The CHINESE celebrate the Moon Festival by lighting lanterns and making and sharing round moon cakes with family members. Traditionally, lanterns symbolize fertility; moon cakes signify the completeness and unity of families. The VIETNAMESE call the Mid-Autumn Festival Tet Trung Thu. It is also known as Children’s Festival because the Vietnamese believe that children, being innocent and pure, had the closest connection to the sacred and natural world; being close to children was seen as a way to connect with animist spirits and deities. In Vietnam, children don elaborate masks and participate in parades with lanterns of various forms. Traditionally, lanterns signify the wish for the Sun’s light and warmth to return after winter. In TAIWAN, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a public holiday where family and friends gather and enjoy each other’s company in outdoor barbecues. KOREANS living in China near Chan Bai Mountain welcome the moon by putting up a large conical house frame made of dry pine branches and call it a "moon house" for gazers to appreciate. The FILIPINO-CHINESE celebrate the evening and exchange moon cakes with all friends, families and neighbors. They also play a game of chance known as the moon cake dice game. The MONGOLIANS play a game called “chase the moon” where they mount their horses and gallop the grassland from the east to the west chasing the moon until it sets in the west. Young TIBETAN men, women and children “look for the moon” by searching and following the moon’s reflection in ponds and along the river before they go home for reunions and share moon cakes. The people of SINGAPORE and MALAYSIA called the Mid-Autumn Festival the Lantern Festival. MOON CAKES Typical moon cakes are round or square with a rich thick filing surrounded by a tender crust that is imprinted with the character for longevity or harmony and the name of the bakery. The most common moon cake filings include red bean, mung bean, black bean, lotus seed paste, jujube paste, or five kernel which may include walnuts, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, or almonds along with wintermelon, jin hua ham or rock sugar for flavoring. It is customary for businessmen and families to present boxes of moon cakes to clients or relatives as presents during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

• published: 21 Sep 2014
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