The Asian Student Center (ASC), a club that brings students together to share individual values and promote multiculturalism within in the University of Massachusetts Boston, will be hosting a cultural Halloween event on Oct. 31. It will be located on the first floor Terrance (U01-1550A), and take place from 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m.
This event will consist of four to eight cardboard cutouts of painted and decorated Asian mythological creatures that represent spring, fall, winter, and summer. These monsters will have their faces cut out so that students may place their faces inside for a picture taken by the ASC.
Students will receive a paper with detailed information about the specific creature. Pictures will also be posted on the center’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UMBAsianStudentCenter.
The mythological creatures that were chosen by UMass members originate from diverse Asian countries in northern and southern regions such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and China. The event will also incorporate countries that many students do not think of as Asian, including Tibet, the Philippines, and India.
For instance, one creature that will be used as a decorative cardboard cutout is the Kappa, which is a mythological creature that represents the season of spring. “The Kappa is a mischievous and troublemaking water monster located in Japanese folklore. They have a tendency to prank the innocent such as passing gas, stealing crops, and kidnapping children, while in contrast, they feed on children’s souls,” Helen Ngo, a UMass Sophomore majoring in Psychology and the coordinator of ASC, stated.
There are numerous volunteers that are participating in this Halloween fun,” Ngo remarked, “Everyone in campus can participate in the event. ASC members, current, new, old, and alumni, are helping out with the creations of the cutouts.”
Ngo responds that this is significant to Asian culture and Halloween by stating, “Since there isn’t any Halloween in Asian culture, we thought it would be a nice way to incorporate Asian mythology with the customs of Halloween. Most instill terror and some are just culturally significant.”
“The main problem in this event is the time crunch. We weren’t originally planning on doing anything for Halloween but this idea suddenly came into our minds. Since many of our artistic members have mostly graduated or transferred, we are hoping to find new emerging artists from our organization through this event,” Ngo responded, revealing the difficulties present for the event.
She commented, “Advertising has been mostly going on by the word of mouth. We are going to put it on our Facebook page and spread the info to all the centers. Since it was a last minute event, flyers were not created.”
Jose Soto, a UMass junior majoring in Biology and the assistant coordinator of ASC, stated, “I think incorporating the two sides of Western and Asian culture is a great way to bring awareness of different diversities to the students of UMass, especially through ghost stories that some of us grew up with as children or learned in Asian courses.”
“I am looking forward to this cultural Halloween get-together, where members and other students can bond and immerse themselves in diversity. This is also a fantastic way to get involved as well as meet friends. Plus, there will be candy!” Moi Le, a UMass freshman majoring in physics, replied.
Helen Ngo invites all UMass students to participate in this lively Halloween event for candy, fun, and cultural knowledge.