Students in Helen Han’s Mandarin classes at Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue middle schools learned about the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China after the Chinese New Year. The day, also known as the Moon Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar when the moon is at its fullest.
To celebrate, the Chinese people eat a reunion dinner with their families, much like our Thanksgiving. Han’s classes read and acted out a traditional Autumn Festival poem and learned the words to a song about the holiday. Students also tried green tea, taro and pineapples moon cakes — a special food served during reunion dinners.