Mark Your Calendars
This is the month when the United States celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May
This legendary golfer, of Thai and African American descent, has won 15 major championships and is considered one of the greatest athletes in the sport’s history
Tiger Woods
The only country whose name in English ends in 'h'
Bangladesh
This Filipino-American singer, known for hits like "Uptown Funk" and "Just the Way You Are," has won multiple Grammy Awards and is famous for his dynamic performances
Bruno Mars
In China, this sweet pastry filled with lotus seed paste or red bean paste is traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival
Mooncake
This annual Hindu festival, known as the Festival of Lights, usually occurs in October or November
Diwali
This Filipino boxer, known as "Pac-Man," is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time, having won world titles in eight different weight divisions
Manny Pacquiao
This Japanese word for goodbye literally means “if it must be so.”
Sayonara
This 2022 film starring Michelle Yeoh won multiple Academy Awards for its multiverse storyline
Everything Everywhere All at Once
During the Mid-Autumn Festival parades in Vietnam, children typically carry these brightly colored illuminated objects
Lanterns
This celebration, known as the Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival and featuring mooncakes and lanterns, is held on this day of the Chinese calendar
The 15th day of the 8th month.
This country in Southeast Asia is famous for its ancient rock temples called Angkor Wat
Cambodia
Derived from the Sanskrit for “bow” and “to you,” this respectful greeting is often used to close yoga sessions
Namaste
This 2020 film, directed by Chloe Zhao, made history when its director became the first woman of Asian descent to win the Oscar for Best Director
Nomadland
In Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called Chuseok and is celebrated with this traditional rice cake, often shared among family
Songpyeon
Celebrated annually on June 11, this Hawaiian holiday honors the chief who unified the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom in 1810
Kamehameha Day
Singapore was part of this country before its independence in 1965
Malaysia
This is the language family that Chinese belongs to.
Sino-Tibetan
This novel is set towards the end of the Han Dynasty in China, when the country was divided into three states.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
This moon deity, often associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese mythology, is said to live on the moon with her companion, the Jade Rabbit
Chang’e
Most of the first significant wave of Asian immigrants to the U.S. arrived during this mid-19th-century event in California
California Gold Rush
This country became independent in 1946; in 1964, it officially switched its independence day from July 4th to June 12
Philippines
This is the country in Asia that has the most diverse languages.
Indonesia
In 2024, Netflix adapted this Chinese sci-fi novel named for a conundrum involving a trio of celestial objects
The Three-Body Problem
In Japan, the Mid-Autumn Festival is known as Tsukimi or Otsukimi. It is traditional to eat this type of noodle—either thick wheat noodles or thin buckwheat noodles—symbolizing longevity and good fortune
Udon and soba