Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 67F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..
Tonight
Becoming windy. Cloudy skies with periods of rain developing overnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
In Chinese tradition, the Autumn Moon is a time to reunite with family and loved ones by viewing the largest moon of the year, a celebration second only in popularity to the Lunar New Year.
“It honors and celebrates the largest harvest moon of the Chinese lunar calendar, and it is a time, similar to the New Year, for reunion, predominantly amongst families,” said Debbie Soon, board member at Self-Help for the Elderly, a nonprofit that provides support for seniors in the Bay Area. “Many Chinese people in the U.S. would go back to China to visit friends and relatives.”
Though the Autumn Moon will fall on Sept. 17 this year, the organization will host an event on Sept. 14 in San Mateo’s Central Park, marking roughly a decade of the annual celebration in the city.
The event will have numerous entertainment options, ranging from a snow cone truck to live music, a morning walk and arts and crafts. The celebration wouldn’t be complete without mooncakes, Soon added, a hockey puck-shaped pastry with a dark filling — which can range from lotus seed to black bean or fig — and a duck egg yolk in the middle.
“If you cut the pastry in half, you will see a circular bright orange moon that is set against a dark sky to represent the harvest moon,” she said. “As a culture, food is always important to us, so if you’ve got food, it’s a good reason to come out.”
And while the event will be light-hearted and celebratory, it also serves as a critical fundraiser for the organization, which relies on volunteers to operate its meal delivery service.
Recommended for you
Loneliness was deemed a public health emergency by the county earlier this year, but among seniors, the problem has become even more dire, especially since the pandemic, Soon said. That makes cross-generational fundraising events like the reunion-focused Autumn Moon Festival a deeply symbolic event as well.
“It’s gotten worse,” Soon said. “Part of what we do is delivering meals. We can check in on the seniors that they’re safe, and sometimes we are the only face they see. Our primary objective is to deliver a hot meal, but there are other things we can do simply because we make the rounds. It has not gotten easier.”
Early on, the event originally comprised mostly low-income Chinese seniors, Soon said, but it’s since expanded across cultures and ages, an accomplishment that is reflective of the organization’s broader community goals. Even the live music performers will span each generation, she said.
“Everyone is thrilled to have all the generations represented,” Soon said. “While it is for the benefit of seniors, it really is for everyone.”
The event will be between 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in San Mateo’s Central Park Saturday, Sept. 14.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.