2024-06-08
English translation of Vivien Xu’s article
As WACAA’s largest outdoor event, the Dragon Boat Picnic holds a cherished place in the Westfield Area Chinese community’s traditions. This year, like in years past, we gathered at the scenic pavilion of Tamaques Park in Westfield to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. The park boasts breathtaking natural beauty conveniently close to home—many attendees can stroll or bike there, reveling in nature’s splendor without traveling far. However, this year marks a change as the venue has introduced a fee to book the pavilion. Fortunately, the fee was inexpensive and the adjustment streamlined the booking process for us. presenting both a new convenience and a minor adjustment for participants.
The highlight of the Dragon Boat Festival, of course, is the sticky rice dumplings (粽子). This year, the association has gone all out with a variety of flavor options such as meat-filled, jujube-flavored, and plain white rice. For those with a penchant for Western tastes such as ABC’s, pizza was also a welcome addition to the menu. The perennial favorite, delicious and affordable tea eggs, were limited to one per person, making them the perfect headcount tool. Despite announcing 200 tea eggs, determining the exact turnout proved tricky—there were more than 200 people to take the eggs! We were left guessing just how many more people joined in after the eggs ran out.
In preparation for the event, we recruited numerous volunteers to assist with distributing a wide array of food, including rice dumplings, pizza, tea eggs, watermelon, and water. Witnessing the enthusiastic participation of so many volunteers, especially the younger generation, an elder at the scene couldn’t help but exclaim excitedly, “We have successors!”
The exchange of spring seedlings remained a beloved tradition at the Dragon Boat Festival, and this year was no different. Guided by the leadership of the People and Nature group, numerous gardening enthusiasts proudly displayed a diverse selection of high-quality seedlings. Each healthy vegetable seedling seemed to beckon me, tempting me to take them home and nurture them in my garden. Amidst the array of choices, I found myself considering whether to replace the varieties I had painstakingly cared for with these new options. It’s wonderful to see such a vibrant gardening community thriving in Westfield.
Besides the usual festivities, this year’s Dragon Boat Festival introduced new events—a college admission application exchange and a clothing swap. In the admission application exchange, current college students who grew up in our area mentored high schoolers on navigating the college application process, drawing a significant turnout. Meanwhile, the clothing swap encouraged older participants to exchange unused garments and hand them down to younger participants who needed them. There was also a special emphasis on Halloween costumes, proving especially popular among young parents. Reusing clothes saves the environment (more importantly for the parents, it also saves MONEY) :).
In addition to the delicious food, seedling exchange, college consultations, and clothing donations, we curated a variety of games to ensure everyone had a great time. There was something for all ages: an archery range, tug of war, hula hoops, a volleyball net, and even a puzzle-solving desk. Coach Li from the Westfield Table Tennis Club added to the excitement with a mini table tennis setup, which posed a challenge for me as a beginner. I bravely challenged him to a quick match, struggling to keep up with the pace of serving and returning the ball. Meanwhile, tug-of-war became a favorite among the children—a spontaneous activity where they formed teams independently, showing remarkable fairness by allowing extra participants, including adults, to join in and balance the teams.
Apart from indulging in food and drink, the adults found great enjoyment in conversation. I drifted away from family obligations and connected with both familiar faces and new acquaintances, savoring the vastness of shared stories and experiences. It didn’t matter what we discussed; I simply relished the improved mood it brought. Days like these remind us to set aside our worries and take a moment to unwind.
Wise Words from the new President (future poet?)
“I’m in such a good mood that it’s hard to put it into words. Let me write down my true feelings. The east wind drives away the cold spring, another year, the style of the Western Region, the beauty is separated by the clouds; the old road can’t be kept, we meet each other happily, smile and ask the children why they are playing”
-New WACAA President 亮相