The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on October 6 this year. It’s a time to celebrate the harvest by gathering with family and friends, enjoying and delicious fruits and snacks like moon cakes. It’s also a great time to admire the moon, which is at its fullest point of the year. It’s also an period to share stories and knowledge about the moon and space with children.

Last Friday, EY and UNC jointly together to celebrate this traditional festival – Mid-Autumn Days. Girls dressed in flowing cheongsams and Hanfu (Chinese traditional attire), and boys in stylish Tang suits and Hanfu, entered the campus beaming with admiration and praise. “You look like a prince!” “Wow, your dress is so beautiful!” The campus was filled with joy.

Shadow Play: Chang’e Flies to the Moon

Under soft, dim lighting, the children watched as ten suns appeared on a white screen, followed by Houyi and Chang’e, scene after scene. Their eyes widened with anticipation, they watched the shadow play meticulously prepared for them by their teachers. After the shadow play performance, the children also had a chance to experience shadow puppetry. They held different shadow puppets and moved their hands up and down and left and right, feeling that they could also create a play.

Archery

For the older children, they have the opportunity to experience archery and shoot the sun like Hou Yi. At the beginning, they didn’t even know how to insert the arrow into the bowstring, but after the teacher’s guidance, many of them were able to shoot directly into the sun. Whoosh—bang! When their arrows hit the paper sun, cheers erupted. “I did it!” the children’s faces lit up with pride.

Tossing Game

Our K and IC and Nido classes took turns playing “Toss the Arrow,” a classic game called Touhu. The children looked serious and carefully aimed at the mouth of the pot until they inserted the feather arrow into the pot.

Lantern Riddle Guessing

The teacher hung a riddle at the bottom of a lantern. If a child guessed the riddle correctly, they could take home their lantern. The teacher was very proud of the students’ responses. Every time the teacher finished explaining the riddle, most of the students could guess the answer immediately.

Making Lanterns

The Casa class made flower and plants lanterns, which was no easy task. The children not only needed to master the precise positioning of the lampshade, but also learn how to assemble the lantern structure and install the light string. The children were delighted after completing their own lanterns. The IC class made a special colorful lantern using tissue paper and bottles.

Feel the changes in the moon phases

The teachers also told the children a very interesting story about the moon – “The Mouse Who Ate the Moon”. Everyone imitated the little mouse and gnawed cookies into different shapes, just like the different phases of the moon. Isn’t it fun?

Making mooncakes

Children gathered around a table, busy making mooncakes, a sweet aroma filled the classroom. Their nimble hands wrapped the filling into the dough and pressed it into the mold. “So delicious!” one child proudly exclaimed as he savored a mooncake he had made himself.

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Final

This is more than just an event; it was a tapestry of cultural love, teamwork, and the pure delight of childhood. We wish all families a bright, reuniting Mid-Autumn Festival and a joyful National Day ahead!