Jarod Opperman / The BulletinDancers from Uhane Hawaii perform a traditional Hawaiian dance during the Third Annual Asian Mid-Autumn Festival at Oregon Tai Chi Wushu Sunday in Bend. The celebration of friends and family comes when the moon is the brightest.

Martial arts, music and mooncakes were all part of the festivities Sunday in Bend.

The third annual Mid-Autumn Festival at Oregon Tai Chi Wushu off U.S. Highway 20 in northeast Bend celebrated what in Chinese culture is the second-biggest holiday, right after the Chinese New Year, said Jian Feng Chen. He is master of the Bend school offering classes in tai chi and wushu.

The holiday, a celebration of friends and family, comes when the moon is the brightest.

“It’s like Thanksgiving, all the family together,” said Chen, who was born and raised in China before moving to America 11 years ago. He and his wife, Karin Chen, the assistant and office manager at Oregon Tai Chi Wushu, started the school about three years ago.

Jian Feng Chen said the festival drew about 300 people throughout the day. Karin Chen added that most of the visitors had ties to the school.

“It’s a time to relax,” she said, “get to know each other.”

Students and instructors at the school performed the slow and controlled movements of tai chi and the dizzying motion of wushu, Chinese martial arts. Music played during the performances, and a band closed out the festival.

One of the wushu performers was Jake Rommel, 12, of Bend. He used double hooks, a pair of swords with hooks at their ends, during his performance. Jake has been taking wushu classes for about two years, said his mom, Kathy Rommel, 48, of Bend.

Although she’s of Chinese descent, Kathy Rommel said she is the fourth generation of her family to live in the U.S. She is still learning about some Chinese traditions, like the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“This is actually the biggest (the school has) had since we’ve been here,” she said of Sunday’s gathering.

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, according to information the Chens passed out at the event. It is also known as the Moon Festival because of the time of year.

“It’s when the moon is the fullest,” said Dano Buendia, 43, of Bend.

Buendia was at the festival with his wife, Elan Buendia, 42, and their 3-year-old son. The family sampled mooncakes as part of the fun.

Shaped like the moon, the subtly sweet cakes come in a variety of flavors that vary by region, according to the Chens’ handout. Flavors available Sunday included green tea, red bean and white lotus seed.

The festival also featured Polynesian dancing, during which Jian Feng Chen was coaxed onto the dance floor by a Tahitian-style dancer. Karin Chen said the festival was about more than Chinese tradition.

“We wanted to bring Asian and Pacific cultures together,” she said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7812, ddarling@bendbulletin.com