Mid-Autumn Festival at Stratford School Altadena
Over the past week, Stratford School Altadena’s Mandarin Bilingual Preschool and Pre-kindergarten classrooms have been bustling with activity to celebrate one of the most important holiday seasons: the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Chinese culture, this is the season of harvest, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival.
It is customary for families to gather together to celebrate and give thanks for their abundance during this holiday while watching the seasonal moon, enjoying mooncake pastries, and making wishes to be released with sky lanterns into the full-moon night sky.
Stratford’s Mandarin Bilingual teachers introduced the young students to the holiday’s history by reading stories and poetry that illustrate its significance. Students participated in many hands-on activities in their classrooms. As the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a celebration of family union, students made lanterns with their families at home and brought them back to school to decorate their classrooms.
The classes were also treated to a special guest, renowned calligrapher Song Yuquan, who came to school to demonstrate his talents to the children. With years of experience in the traditional Chinese art of calligraphy, Mr. Yuquan has mastered styles such as Kaishu (regular script) and Xingshu (semi-cursive script). Students witnessed Song’s artistry firsthand, showcasing the deep cultural heritage of an ancient art form that blends classical techniques with personal expression.
On Tuesday, families gathered on campus to join their children in a festive celebration, marking the end of a week-long event. The bilingual classrooms organized a colorful parade for students to dress up in red, wear traditional costumes, display their handmade lanterns, and sing songs that they had learned. It was a beautiful welcome to fall, with the weather changing, the children celebrating, and the full moon on the rise.
To all who celebrate, may all your Mid-Autumn Festival wishes come true.
For more information about Stratford School and its Mandarin Bilingual programs, visit StratfordSchools.com/Altadena.