The Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society on Saturday will host events to mark a holiday celebrated around the world. The Twin Cities Mid-Autumn Festival showcases different Asian American cultures in the community.
In China, the festival is is a time for people to gather, offer thanks for the harvest, and pray for longevity and good fortune. The holiday — Oct. 6 this year — falls on the day of a full moon. The festival is also celebrated in other parts of Asia such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.
The event is free and runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the China Friendship Garden “Liu Ming Yuan” in Phalen Regional Park.
The festival starts with Voices in the Light Poetry and open mic readings as well as and a 5K run at 11 a.m. The festival also will feature more than 30 cultural information booths and more than six hours of traditional performances and dances from Hmong, Chinese, Vietnamese, Dakota tribe performers and more. There also will be food and moon cakes tastings. More information is available at mnchinagarden.org.
According to Romi Slowaik, a board member of the Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society, the festival is meant to be a get-together for friends and family.
“It’s a time for family get-togethers and remembering people all over the world who are part of your family. As you look at the shadow of the full moon, you think that your family members on the other side of the world are looking at that,” Slowaik said.
Christina Morrison, the board director of the Minnesota China Friendship Garden and president of the Association of Sino-American Neocultural Exchange, said the festival is a way to inform people about the Chinese American garden at the center.
The garden was established in 1988 under the leadership of Mayor George Latimer and the Minnesota China Friendship group after Latimer helped build a relationship with St. Paul’s sister city, Chagsha.
Morrison said she hopes when people come to the festival, that they learn more about gardens and come to appreciate the family aspect of the holiday.
“(The) two main goals are promoting this garden and (getting) to know more about this festival,” Morrison said. “By attending this festival, we’re celebrating this family reunion holiday with all the different ethnic groups in the Twin Cities.”
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