Asian Culture Center hosts Moon Festival

According to one Chinese legend, "marriages are made in Heaven but prepared on the moon." To increase her chances for marriage, a young woman might pray to the old man on the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. \nThe Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival as it is sometimes known, is to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for family, according to the China Voc Web site.\nThe Asian Culture Center, located at 807 E. 10th St., is hosting the Moon Festival celebration from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday.\n"We'd like to let people know about the festival and become aware of the ACC and to learn a bit about Asian culture," said Cheng-yi Liu, student outreach coordinator at the center.\nLiu said at the Moon Festival, families get together and celebrate, but he wants people to know it's not just for Asians or families. The ACC and Moon Festival are for everyone, he said. \nLiu said the ACC will serve moon cakes, s'mores and tea. Attendees can enjoy performances by the Chinese yo-yo club, music, games and a yoga demonstration.\nJanice McCabe is leading an introductory yoga session. She said at the demonstration, she will assume participants have no prior exposure, so everyone can join in. Keeping with the moon theme, McCabe will incorporate poses such as the half-moon pose and crescent moon pose, among others. \n"I hope participants have a pleasurable experience and gain appreciation and knowledge about Asian culture," she said.\nPresident of the Taiwanese Student Association Yu Wen Hua will help run games at the festival. She described one game as a mix between charades and the "telephone" game found in the United States, where players pass a message from one person to the next. \n"It's something they play on game shows a lot in Asia," she said.\nSaturday, the TSA is hosting another Moon Festival at 6 p.m. in the Flame Room at McNutt Quad. Hua said when the TSA began planning for the festival in March, she wasn't aware of the ACC's events. She said the TSA decided to continue with its plans to give students another opportunity to celebrate and learn about culture. The free event will include games, food, skits and other performances.\n"This is one of our biggest events," Hua said. "We want students to celebrate the Moon Festival and have a night of fun and entertainment"