Cultures converge at Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in San Jose

"Saturday's Mid-Autumn Moon Festival filled the Children's Discovery Museum in downtown San Jose with festive activities for children to participate in. It also created an outlet for young children to explore and learn about Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. Considered the second biggest holiday in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures on the lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival marks a time of harvest, reunion and celebration among Southeast Asian cultures."

"The lion dance was the main attraction for many, and anticipation before the performance prompted a line that wrapped across the downstairs of the museum. During the performance, spectators watched a vibrant show with drums and acrobatics. Outside, artist Andy Nguyen introduced cyanotype artwork, a photographic process that creates a blue and white image from a mix of sun exposure and chemicals."

"Nguyen practices and teaches forms of the art, which honors his Vietnamese heritage. "The Autumn Festival is most important for Chinese and Vietnamese children, but I'm looking forward to sharing it with other children too," he said. Inside the museum, Justin Vo, a staff member at the Vietnamese American Roundtable, brought an educational and historical aspect to the event. This civil engagement-based organization advocates for cultural learning, he said. Vo said the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is for children during the harvest season."

Saturday's Mid-Autumn Moon Festival filled the Children's Discovery Museum in downtown San Jose with festive activities for children. The event provided an outlet for young children to explore Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. Considered the second biggest holiday on the lunar calendar for those cultures, the festival marks harvest, reunion and celebration. The San Jose program highlighted cultural intersections with lantern-making, Playdough moon cakes, an outdoor art workshop and lion dance performances by Yun Yee Tong USA. Outside, artist Andy Nguyen introduced cyanotype photography that creates blue-and-white images, honoring his Vietnamese heritage. Justin Vo of the Vietnamese American Roundtable emphasized educational, historical and civil engagement elements for children during the harvest season.

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