Celebrating Culture and Community: Rochester’s Harvest Moon Festival Returns
On September 21, 2024, Rochester’s second Harvest Moon Festival will take place at 11 Schoen Place in Pittsford. Organized by the Rochester chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA Roc), the Festival will have live music and dance performances, food vendors, arts and crafts stations, cultural displays and exhibits, and a lantern lighting ceremony.
The Festival Across the World
The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox, considered the biggest and brightest full moon of the year, is known as the harvest moon.
Usually occurring on September 22 or 23 on the Gregorian calendar, the harvest moon falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. Because the lunar cycle changes yearly, festivities celebrating the harvest moon can occur anywhere between September 8 and October 7.
Many Asian countries have festivals around this time:
China celebrates Zhongqiu Jie with family reunions, moon gazing and sharing mooncakes.
Korea observes Chuseok as a three-day national holiday where people travel to their ancestral and parental homes and eat traditional sweets, play games and pay homage to their elders and ancestors.
Japan holds o-tsukimi, a moon viewing festival that involves picnicking and drinking sake under the full moon.
Southeast Asian countries observe festivals around the full moon throughout the year, and many of them originate from Buddhist traditions.
India celebrates Onam as an annual harvest festival to commemorate King Mahabali and includes numerous festivities.
In the United States and Canada, Asian diasporic populations in major cities and Chinatowns have celebrated the festival since the 1990s and early 2000s. However, festivities didn’t start gaining popularity outside of Asian supermarkets and food stores until as late as 2014. The festival also goes by several other names, including Mid-Autumn Festival, Mooncake Festival, August Moon Festival, Mid-Harvest Festival and Reunion Festival.
The Festival’s Origins
Observances of the Harvest Moon Festival derive from Chinese practices from over three thousand years ago.
During the Zhou Dynasty, emperors worshipped the moon in autumn, hoping it would ensure a plentiful harvest the following year, offering sacrifices to the moon goddess Chang’e. The practice of moon worship became popular among wealthy merchants, officials, and common citizens during the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty officially established the Mid-Autumn Festival, though the modern tradition of eating mooncakes during the festival didn't begin until the Yuan Dynasty.
The Significance of the Harvest Moon Festival
The Harvest Moon Festival is also called the Reunion Festival because the full moon symbolizes reunion. Across Asia, people gather with their families, give thanks and pray for auspicious futures. For the Asian diaspora in Rochester, the festival is an opportunity to connect with their community and heritage.
Last year, APAPA Roc organized and hosted the first festival in hopes of bringing more Asian representation to Rochester. The festival featured cultural food, music and performances from local heritage groups, offering visibility for Asian Americans who may not see themselves reflected in everyday life.
To stay up to date with the 2024 Harvest Moon Festival, follow APAPA Roc here: https://www.facebook.com/apaparoc/.
