Attendees of the Mid-Autumn Chinese Festival scattered around the Durrell Center eating vegetable dumplings, listening to the music and trying on costumes for photos with a giant panda.

Colorado State University’s Confucius Institute hosted the Mid-Autumn Chinese Festival for the public Saturday. Among the activities provided were calligraphy contests, free Chinese food and live music. There are about 600 Chinese students at CSU this year, according to Anna Gerber, communications manager for the Office of International Programs.

Gerber said this festival is crucial to students’ understanding of different cultures around the world that they may not be exposed to otherwise.

“(The) Mid-Autumn Festival has been celebrated in China for thousands of years, and it’s fun to know that, as we celebrate here in Fort Collins, people around the world will also be celebrating,” Gerber said. 

Students who attended the festival found the opportunity to experience different cultures. Freshmen students Haley Chatwin and Rachel Ashurst decorated masks with blue and purple colors at one of the many craft tables — they said they enjoyed watching the expert calligraphist decorate scrolls of paper. 

“I think it’s fantastic the effort that CSU puts into making sure that everyone feels included, and also in educating people,” Chatwin said.

While they personally heard about it through an honors program, they said activities like these need to be better advertised around campus so that other students have the opportunity to come. 

“I didn’t know it was gonna be happening unless like one of my honor’s recitations had told me about it, so I wish there was kinda more like publicity about it,” Ashurst said.

Besides lack of  advertisement, both girls said they enjoyed their time spent at the festival and hope that more students will go to the next activities hosted by the school.

Collegian Reporter Katy Mueller can be reached at news@collegian. com or on Twitter @katymueller13