Featured Photo by Lina Chapman
Story by Lillian Chapman
With a spread of mooncakes and warm tea, the Center for Chinese Music and Culture hosted Tan Ye, Ph.D., to share the importance of the moon in Chinese poetry in preparation for the Autumn Moon Festival.
“Full moon festival is celebrated in many cultures, especially East Asia. This is about harvest, this is about reunion of family, sort of like Thanksgiving in the west,” said Mei Han, who helped organize this event and is the founder of the Center for Chinese Music and Culture.
The 2023 Mid-Autumn Moon Festival starts on Sept. 29 and will continue until Oct. 6. Families gather to honor the moon, light paper lanterns and enjoy little pastries called mooncakes.
Music is also a meaningful part of the festival. Visiting scholar Lyujing Liu played the yang qin, a traditional Chinese instrument, while the audience tasted the delicacies provided.
Ye is a specialist in Chinese literature, theater and film. He explained the significance of the moon in Chinese culture and poetry. It represents love, family and reunion.
“It was an image of beauty, an image of longing, an image of loneliness, so it’s that kind of beauty very specific to China and Chinese culture but also the surrounding East-Asian cultures,” Han said.
Reciting poems from memory, first in Mandarin and then translated into English, Ye gave many examples of how the moon is used to symbolize affection between lovers, the memory of home and hope.
“The moon poems are written not by poets…but by ordinary people,” said Ye.
As Ye began to quote one of the most popular poems about the moon, many of the Mandarin speakers from the audience joined in. Translated into English, this poem is titled “Thoughts in the Silent Night“ by La Bai.
It is impossible to translate the true meaning behind many of these poems due to the complexity of Mandarin. While some of the symbolism is lost, the importance of the moon and the meaning behind it is still shareable through languages and traditions.
Natasha Smith, a Middle Tennessee State University student currently enrolled in Cross Culture Experiences, shared her appreciation for the festival.
“It brought up some things I hadn’t really thought about, especially like all the different names and meanings of the moon…It’s cool to see from a different culture how important it is and how much weight it has in Chinese culture,” Smith said.
Han asked attendees to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the full moon on Sept. 29, as it symbolizes the start of the festival.
“Lift your head and look at the moon and lower your head and think of your home,” Han said.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
