25 September 2015 –
Ha!
I'm actually posting a current family event! I didn't think that could/would be possible considering how far behind I am in posting photos from our summer in the USA.
This morning the IST Elementary School hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival assembly celebrating this Chinese holiday.
Personally, I think this a beautiful and poetic holiday – it's about coming together and celebrating & feasting with loved ones. The moon ties into this holiday…you can find many Chinese folktales and legends that involve the moon. They even eat 月饼 Yuèbǐng (moon cakes) to honor the moon. Last year I tried making my own moon cakes using one of the wooden molds I'd purchased on Ancient Culture Street. I used chocolate hazelnut butter for the filling however that is not the traditional moon cake filling. I've tried moon cakes filled with a variety of sweet and savory (and sometimes both sweet and savory in the same cake…not good in case you're wondering!). I prefer the sweet cakes (red bean paste, strawberry or other berry flavors) over the savory ones. Here's more information on the Moon Festival.
Now, where was I??? Oh, right. The assembly!
Ava and several other grade 4 students hosted this entire elementary school assembly. She dressed for the occasion by wearing one of her qipaos.
Ava, MC (Master of Ceremony):
Finally! Here's Ava's much-talked-about fan dance with her grade 4 classmates. From the looks of the rest of the assembly this might have been the only rehearsed part of the entire assembly. 😉 (It's ok, cute kids make up for any number of errors.)
Fan Dance at IST Moon Festival Assembly from Astrid Breutzman on Vimeo.
Part 2: Fan Dance performed by IST Grade 4 students from Astrid Breutzman on Vimeo.
There's my pretty little girl!
Zhongqiu Kuaile! 中秋快乐！