(picture from: https://delightfulplate.com/vietnamese-mooncakes-banh-trung-thu/)
Last Wednesday the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) held an open invitation for UAFS students to attend a mooncake-making event, showing students how to prepare them and learning about the Vietnamese mid-Autumn festival for which they were made in preparation. The event was held in the school’s BCM building, and new attendees were greeted by VSA officers who invited attendees to the mid-Autumn event they held on Friday at the Belltower.
VSA sophomore officer Nang Bui explained, “Made up of 100+ active members, the VSA holds several events throughout the year," with the mid-Autumn festival being held to celebrate the full moon.
The mid-Autumn festival is held every September. In Vietnamese culture, it’s meant to celebrate that season’s harvest. The festival draws many attendees and is known for its tables full of food, the hundreds of lanterns that can be handmade at the festival, and the mooncakes as mentioned earlier. At the VSA event, people were helping those who did not know how to make their mooncakes, with the three delicious fillings offered; red bean, mung bean, and chocolate being more than enough to satisfy most people’s curiosities and perhaps even leave with a favorite. Described as a "little kid” celebration, the event is a Vietnamese amalgamation of Halloween and Christmas, with roots in Vietnamese tradition. This event being held on UAFS symbolizes the importance of preserving and honoring culture whilst opening the doors to those who wish to learn more about Vietnamese culture.
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