There are various kinds of Chinese cultural events hold by Chinese associations in Gainesville. Those cultural events offer precious opportunities for you to experience authentic Chinese culture while making friends with Chinese here. Below are the most influential Chinese cultural events that you can’t miss in Gainesville.
Spring Festival Gala
Chinese Spring Festival, that is, the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the most important and traditional festival all along Chinese history. In this special holiday, Chinese family members gather for the reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve.We celebrate the harmony and harvest of the last year and pray for the fortune and happiness of the New Year. As international students in Gainesville who can’t get back to China for family reunion, Chinese students will get together, having homemade feasts and celebrations.
The Spring Festival Gala, held by FACSS (Friendship association of Chinese Students & Scholars, read for more information on FACSS) every year in Phillips Center, is the largest and premiere Chinese celebration in Gainesville. The show features various traditional Chinese acts, such as drama, dance, music, acrobatics, martial arts, crosstalk, and comedy. This would be a perfect chance for you to experience Chinese culture while being pleasantly entertained by the show.
Each performance is presided both in Chinese and English. So don’t worry if you don't know much about Chinese or Chinese culture. Moreover, there are a lot of American performers and guests invited to the show, including Dancing Gators, CASA, and our President Machen etc. Let’s meet there in the special day! FACSS can make the show even better with your participation and support.
FACSS Singing Contest
Interested in Chinese folk music? Well, here comes the Karaoke competition held by FACSS in every November, where the most talented Chinese singers were brought together to present the best 'made in China' music feast . Whether you are Chinese or not, you are welcome to be part of it where you can make friends through music. There is no boundary of language in the world of music.
In fact, there are more and more American students in UF participating in the competition. Aaron, an American student from Chinese Linguistic Department who was both the presider and competitor in the 2011 FACSS Karaoke Competition, said after the competition, ‘I’m a huge fan of Chinese pop music. I’ve made friends with a lot of Chinese students during the competition. It’s great to share my music hobbies with them. It’s such an amazing experience. I really enjoyed it.’ If you’re not good at singing, then just come to enjoy the show and feast your ears.
Mid-Autumn Dancing Party
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. Families get reunion while eating moon cakes and admiring the moon in the full moon night.
The dancing party is a new tradition hold by FACSS to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2012. Besides the free dance, there are also amazing live dance and band performances in the party. Let’s dance in the silver moonlight!