Memorable Moments of Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival in English

　　The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals. It has a history of over 3,000 years and is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. People usually have a day off and gather with family and friends to enjoy mooncakes and appreciate the round and bright full moon. As an English language learner, I have also celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival in English-speaking countries, and the memories are unforgettable.

　　The first Mid-Autumn Festival I experienced in an English-speaking country was in the United States. I was studying there, and my school's Chinese Students and Scholars Association organized a Mid-Autumn Festival party. The party was held on the weekend before the actual festival to accommodate everyone's schedule, and it was held in a large auditorium decorated with colorful paper lanterns and banners that said "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival" in English. There were also Chinese traditional cultural activities such as calligraphy, paper-cutting, and tea ceremony. I was thrilled to see so many American students and professors who were interested in Chinese culture, and I made many new friends that night.

　　The highlight of the party was the mooncake-making competition. The organizers had prepared all the necessary ingredients and tools, and the participants were divided into teams of four or five. Each team had to make a batch of mooncakes from scratch, including the dough, the filling, and the mold. The judges were not only Chinese professors but also American chefs who had never tasted mooncakes before. It was a hilarious experience to see the American judges' reaction to the taste and texture of the mooncakes, which were very different from their usual desserts. In the end, my team won the first prize for the most creative shape of mooncakes, which were made to look like American footballs!

　　Another memorable Mid-Autumn Festival I celebrated in an English-speaking country was in Australia. I was there for a cultural exchange program, and my host family invited me to their home for a reunion dinner. The host family was an Australian couple who had adopted two Chinese girls, and they were very interested in Chinese culture. They had prepared a feast of Chinese dishes, including dumplings, noodles, steamed fish, and of course, mooncakes. They had also learned to say some Chinese greetings such as "Zhong qiu jie kuai le" (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival) and "yue liang zhong xin" (the moon is the center of Mid-Autumn Festival).

　　During the dinner, we shared our stories and customs related to Mid-Autumn Festival. The Chinese girls told us about their memories of watching the moon with their birth parents and playing with lanterns in the park. They also showed us how to make a DIY lantern with colorful plastic cups and LED lights. I, on the other hand, taught them some English phrases related to the moon, such as "once in a blue moon" and "shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." We also listened to some English songs about the moon, such as "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra and "Moon River" by Audrey Hepburn. It was heartwarming to see how our different cultures could converge and complement each other.

　　In conclusion, celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival in English can be a unique and rewarding experience for Chinese learners of English and anyone who is interested in cross-cultural exchange. It provides an opportunity to showcase Chinese culture and learn about English-speaking cultures, and to foster friendship and understanding among people of different backgrounds. As the Chinese saying goes, "the moon symbolizes reunion and harmony." May we all have a happy and memorable Mid-Autumn Festival, whether in Chinese or in English.