This past Wednesday, Oct. 23, the Tech community gathered around Tech Green to celebrate a belated Moon Festival, which took place this year in mid-September. Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a day of celebration during harvest season that takes place on the night of the fullest and brightest moon of the fall.
Although the date changes from year to year depending on the East Asian Lunisolar Calendar, it is a historical holiday that is still recognized in modern times by celebrating with family, laughing with friends and eating traditional foods.
Like in previous years, the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) planned and hosted their annual Moonfest event, which drew an attendance of over 2,000 students, faculty and Atlantans from the surrounding communities to Tech’s campus this year. They enjoyed food catered by local Vietnamese restaurants, traditional games, booth events from various Asian American organizations and individual musical performances by students.
The highlight of the event was the stage performances held throughout the night, drawing crowds to cheer on their fellow Jackets. The VSA put on their signature showcase, called Múa Lân, or lion dance. Other performances in the lineup included features from Dragon Flyers, Tech’s diabolo team, Seoulstice, the K-POP dance team and Tekstyles, a campus Hip Hop dance crew, to name a few.
While all attendees had the opportunity to explore and appreciate the diverse cultures and traditions of Asia in a festive and social atmosphere, the annual Moonfest event has always been a way for students of Asian descent to get in touch with their heritage on Tech’s campus.
The Technique spoke with VSA’s co-president, Nathan Pham, third-year BME, about the planning process, future growth and the importance of hosting events like Moonfest for the Tech student body.
“The main things are the design, budget and theme, [so] as the school year starts, that’s when we start funding … our main fund sources are Parents Funds, SGA and BuzzFunds, and then last year, we opened Moonfest up to sponsors. We have a specific executive board member for that; they talk to different Vietnamese small businesses and even larger businesses and restaurants so they can sponsor Moonfest, so we can get it bigger and better,” Pham said.
While planning begins months before during the previous spring semester, details are drawn out right down to the hours leading up to the event’s opening. On the day of, there is so much that goes on behind the scenes to ensure a safe and fun time for everyone to enjoy. VSA coordinates with Tech faculty, outside caterers and importantly, other student groups to bring the festival alight.
“We like highlighting the unique aspects of campus. So not all the performances are the exact same. We want to highlight each area of each kind of different dance style that you can see in Asian American organizations [and] how we share the same community. So I think it’s important to highlight those things, how FSA has its own thing, its own dance, which is completely different from something like our lion dance,” Pham said.
GT Dragon Flyers was one team that was asked back from previous years, and the Technique spoke to Chase Lee, CS M.S. and club president, about preparing and performing for the Moonfest event. Dragon Flyers (@gt_dragonflyers) perform diabolo, a juggling object derived from the Chinese yo-yo, where the prop is spun, tossed and balanced with a string.
Lee explained that the performance piece’s music selection, choreography and overall organization was a four-month-long process.
“We established ourselves three semesters ago as an official club, but we are used to practicing for a lot of the Asian organization’s events, so we practice at Moonfest; this is our third or fourth time,” Lee said.
He also described the role of performance clubs and the importance of their presence at these larger events and to the campus at large.
“I think the performances are all really cool, and they provide some form of entertainment that they might not see on a day-to-day basis, so it’s a great way for people to hang out during a stressful Georgia Tech week,” Lee said.
Outside of collaborations with student organizations, VSA has plans to expand Moonfest in the upcoming years to include Asian American organizations that have an impact on the community from all around the metro Atlanta area.
Pham said centers, such as Asian American Voices for Education (AAVEd) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), were invited but had scheduling conflicts with the limited event period. He said he hoped to strengthen communication with these partners in future years. VSA hopes to use the popular turnout of Moonfest to promote local nonprofits and organizations that are important in the Asian American community.
VSA’s outreach efforts reflect a broader commitment to inclusivity by not only enhancing the Moonfest event itself but also to promote the smaller clubs and organizations on and off campus.
Cultural events hosted on campus create an environment of positive exposure and interaction to learn about people and traditions that we otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience in our communities.
“The main purpose is to form a sense of belonging [and] a sense of community but also to get students who aren’t as familiar with Asian American dances, food, and stuff like that, to get familiarity within the campus and the greater Atlanta area. I think that’s what is important about Tech; you get to have those different perspectives,” Pham said.
GT VSA has plans for even more events in the upcoming year. Their Spring Gala is another large annual event that has a different theme every year. They also hold monthly GBMs and social events open to all students. If you are interested in joining or volunteering, connect with them on Engage or follow them on Instagram @gt.vsa.