Mid-Autumn Festival is more than a celebration for children. Through folk tales, traditional customs, and hands-on activities, it is also an opportunity for students to discover Vietnamese culture, create something with their own hands, and experience the joy of sharing with others. 

With this spirit, the 2026 Mid-Autumn season at Sakura - Olympia was filled with age-appropriate experiences, all sharing one common goal: giving every student the opportunity to experience the festival firsthand and create their own Mid-Autumn memories. 

FROM THE DAYS OF PREPARATION 

Creating a memorable celebration begins well before the festival itself. In the days leading up to the event, Sakura - Olympia students eagerly prepared for the celebration. Before the lanterns were lit and the lion dance drums began to echo, Olympia classes explored stories, customs, and traditional foods associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival, while preparing their own creations for the lantern parade. 

Olympia classes embrace the festive Mid-Autumn atmosphere in their classrooms. 

Meanwhile, at Sakura, Fuji, Yuri, and Himawari students went on a Mid-Autumn field trip, where they joined a lantern-making workshop and created lanterns in a variety of shapes and colors. As part of the program, they also worked together to make star-shaped lanterns as gifts for children at the Da Nang City Center for the Care of People with Disabilities, turning their festival preparations into an opportunity to share kindness and spread the spirit of “A Moonlit Season of Love.” 

The “Lanterns Lighting Up Love” Mid-Autumn field trip for Fuji, Yuri, and Himawari classes. 

“A MOONLIT SEASON OF LOVE” COMES TO SAKURA 

With the lanterns they had made during the field trip in hand, Sakura Kindergarten students were ready to join the lantern parade at the “A Moonlit Season of Love” celebration. 

The “A Moonlit Season of Love” celebration at Sakura Kindergarten. 

The celebration opened with the story of “The Legend of Chú Cuội and Chị Hằng,” bringing the children into the familiar world of the Mid-Autumn full moon. Rather than simply listening to the story, students from Yuri and Himawari classes brought its characters to life through a lively fashion show. 

The classic tale of Chú Cuội and Chị Hằng comes to life through a teachers’ theatrical performance. 

Yuri and Himawari students dress up as Chú Cuội and Chị Hằng and confidently walk across the stage. 

As the drums began to beat, the festive atmosphere came alive with lion dances, playful lion dancers, and little Ông Địa characters. Games, creative challenges, and the Golden Bell Challenge gave the children opportunities to play, explore, and learn along the way. 

As the drums echo, lion dancers and little Ông Địa characters appear and join in the Mid-Autumn celebration. 

The celebration also gives children the opportunity to explore cultural stories and confidently express themselves through creative challenges and the Golden Bell Challenge. 

“TOUCHING THE MOON” AT OLYMPIA 

For Olympia students, the 2026 Mid-Autumn season unfolded through a journey called “Touching the Moon,” carrying the message: “A moonlit season to remember, a childhood to cherish.” The program featured three experiential spaces — Chạm Khéo (Creative Hands), Chạm Thương (Shared Love), and Chạm Nhớ (Cherished Memories) — where students, parents, and teachers could participate, create, and capture meaningful moments together. 

The vibrant Mid-Autumn atmosphere at the “Touching the Moon” festival. 

Chạm Khéo (Creative Hands) invited students to bring the colors of the Mid-Autumn season to life through traditional crafts such as clay tò he figurines, paper fish lanterns, and revolving lanterns. Through these hands-on activities, students could freely express their creativity while discovering traditional Vietnamese folk culture. 

Students explore their creativity and discover the beauty of Vietnamese folk culture at Chạm Khéo (Creative Hands). 

At Chạm Thương (Shared Love), students and their parents worked together to decorate festive trays, make paper lion heads, create class name signs, and design a Mid-Autumn space that reflected the identity of each class. Each creation became a reminder of the time spent together, the care shared, and the bonds strengthened along the way. 

Each festive tray is a reflection of love and togetherness. 

The journey concluded at Chạm Nhớ (Cherished Memories), where students captured the joy and emotions of the festival through memory-making activities and traditional games. Through the experiences they created together, this year’s Mid-Autumn celebration became another cherished childhood memory. 

Traditional games create lasting memories of the 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival. 

WHEN THE ENTIRE SAKURA - OLYMPIA COMMUNITY “TOUCHES THE MOON” 

The lively lion dance drums bring the entire Sakura - Olympia community together for “Touching the Moon.” 

What began as separate activities within each class came together to become a shared Mid-Autumn celebration across the entire Sakura - Olympia School System. Students from Kindergarten to High School, together with parents, teachers, and staff, joined in the festive atmosphere through lively lion dance drums, hands-on experiences, and moments of sharing traditional treats and joining the lantern parade. 

A memorable Mid-Autumn Festival is not created by the moonlight, lanterns, or festive trays alone. It is also shaped by the stories we share, the things we make with our own hands, the joy we pass on to others, and the moments we spend together with family, teachers, and friends.