You can get a paper lantern like this girl’s at the Vietnames festival.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Saigon After Summer
Night & Day does its best to track events that might appeal to our African-American and Latino readers, but we don’t always do so well when it comes to our Vietnamese readers. That’s why we’re so pleased this week to highlight the Arlington Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. If you’re wondering why they’re calling it a “mid-autumn” festival when it’s taking place closer to the equinox, that’s because it traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It’s intended to celebrate the harvest and also the community’s children, who would typically be neglected by their parents while the harvest was going on.
In addition to all the ethnic festival standbys (food, traditional dance, music, costumes), the event put on by the Vietnamese Culture & Science Association of Dallas-Fort Worth will also have a demonstration of Vietnamese martial arts. Even though they lack the reputation of fighting styles from other Asian countries, Vietnam has a rich tradition of martial arts, including Vo Binh Dinh (emphasizing fighting opponents larger than oneself) and Vovinam, whose practitioners can perform astonishing flying kicks and leg holds.
If that’s too violent for you, the festival also features workshops on making lanterns out of paper or silk. For centuries, the country of Vietnam and especially the southern city of Hoi An were known all over the continent for their brightly colored hexagonal or spherical lanterns stretched over bamboo frames. Kids can even take one of these beautiful objects home for free, which is one reason why this all-day event will light up the city.
The Arlington Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival runs 10am-10pm in the parking lot of Saigon Taipei Supermarket, 2430 E Arlington Pkwy, Arlington. Admission is free. Call 214-455-2251.
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