As I pass by colorful lanterns that decorate a nearby stage, I can hear the drums getting louder and louder. Then, the sounds fade quietly into the background as the host announces the start of the West Covina Mega Moon Festival.
This is the second year that West Covina celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday celebrated in Chinese culture where families and friends come together to celebrate the start of fall. The Mega Moon Festival celebrates this holiday, but the event is not only for Chinese Americans.
“This event is for everyone to come to,” Mayor Pro Tem Tony Wu said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re Irish, Japanese, et cetera.”
A staple food of the holiday are the mooncakes, and Chinese Americans give these mooncakes to friends and relatives as gifts. Some make them from scratch, while others buy them from local bakeries, such as Kee Wah Bakery — just like how my family would.
Kee Wah Bakery in Monterey Park is special to me because my family used to take my brother and I to buy mooncakes in my childhood. It was a common spot for us to go to since we wanted to try new mooncakes based on the flavors and designs.
This year, we went to buy mooncakes from a different place called Heartland Cafe & Mart in Walnut. I tried their taro flavored mooncake, and the sweetness of the taro flavor was rich and robust. These are special moments to me because I enjoy spending time with my family and eating mooncakes, and I love their beautiful designs.
Tiffany Chen celebrates by sharing a traditional Chinese meal, drinking tea, and eating mooncakes. Her favorite flavor is the white Lotus paste, with way too much salty egg yolk.
“The festival is very important in my Chinese culture, and we celebrate every year with our friends and family,” Chen said. “Mooncakes are given as gifts and I love to share them with my non-Chinese friends so they can experience it as well.”
The Mega Moon Festival is an example of how a diverse community comes together to celebrate a cultural tradition.
“I think it’s important for all cultures to learn about each other,” attendee Arlene Grace Dominguez said. “We’re able to share and learn about other people’s culture.”
Oftentimes, the Mid-Autumn Festival is confused with other similar holidays, like the Korean holiday of Chuseok, which occurs around the same time. West Covina High School Principal Charles Park, who celebrates the Korean holiday instead, came to the festival to observe their similarities.
“We have a family dinner as a celebration,” he said, referring to Chuseok. “We eat this Korean dish that is like a white cake soup with dumplings.”
These events show that though we have differences in culture, these celebrations also allow communities to become closer to one other, sharing delicious food and cherished memories.
This article was first published in the September 26 print edition of the University Times.
