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Catherine Myers/ The South Texan
Martial artist Yuhx Jiun Tang performs martial arts stunts during the Moon Festival.

Robert Peña/ The South Texan
Dancing was featured to entertain and show various cultures

Catherine Myers/ The South Texan
Henna Tattoos were done free of charge as one of the activities

MOON FESTIVAL

By Carlos Alvarado
The South Texan

   Asian Pacific Heritage Awareness Month kicked off with the celebration of the Moon Festival
   The event which was held in the Memorial Student Union Building Friday, March 28 offered a variety of entertainment including a kung fu demonstration, belly dancing, henna tattoos, face painting, ethnic snacks, traditional costumes and a moon jump for children.
   A custom Rangoli, a form of sandpainting, was presented at the festival by three traditionally dressed Indian women that created a design then decorated with a finely ground white powder and color.
   “We draw rangoli patterns every morning by hand as a means of good luck to get a good husband,”Aburadha Nagaraj, graduate industrial engineering student said.
   Salt and color are originally used to create rangoli on special occasions.

Catherine Myers/ The South Texan

Seir of the Office of Distance Learning and Continuing Education performs an ethnic belly dance at the Moon Festival held Friday, March 28

Catherine Myers/ The South Texan

Members of the Middle Eastern Dance Club performed at the Moon Festival

   At the Moon Festival, children could run, jump and slam dunk inside the moon bounce as well as paint their face of any mythically or realistic image they could image that would accompany them.
   “I never been to the Moon Festival, but I enjoyed everything,” Devina Arredondo junior communication said. “The dancing was interesting, the snacks were affordable and delicious and they had plenty of games and activities for children and my friends.”
   Henna Art existed for more than 5000 years, and many cultures from India to the Middle East have embraced the art of decoration, mainly for social and religious occasions especially weddings.
   Traditional Chinese Calligraphy was another highlight that students flock to. The booth allowed students to have American name correctly translated through the traditional Chinese corrector.
   By controlling the concentration of ink, the thickness and absorptivity of the paper, and the flexibility of the brush, the artist is free to produce an infinite variety of styles and forms.
   The Middle Eastern Dance Club performed to show what the campus community can learn if they join the belly dancing class that the club instructs.
   “As the current president, I felt extremely honored to perform at the event,” Sabrina Salinas sophomore civil engineering major said. “For the past three year the Middle Eastern Dance Club has been involved and I felt it was part of the tradition.”
   The public is invited to different events held on campus during Asian Pacific Heritage Month, all free unless otherwise noted. Most of the events take place at the MSUB, located on the corner of University Boulevard and Santa Gertrudis Avenue.
   A full list of events for Asian Pacific Heritage Month may be found on the university website at http://www.tamuk.edu/ news/2008/march/asian_pacific_heritage/.
   “We have plenty of events throughout the month the emphasizes Asian Pacific Heritage Month, and the Moon Festival is just the beginning,” Toni Alvarez co-chair of Asian Pacific Heritage month said.

	Students create a sand art display called rangoli prior to the event.
The surrounding community enjoyed ethnic food from Sodexho.