By APASA Co-Advocacy Chair Emma Ngai Kei Hui and Intern Alice Yin

Attendees and APASA members cooling off with water ballon throwing!

To celebrate the last of the summer days, APASA brought the USC community our first-ever Water Festival! Our Programming Director, Joshua Placido, was inspired by the celebrations that occur in many parts of Southeast Asia, the most well-known being Thailand’s Songkran but similar celebrations also occur in Cambodia (Chol Chnam Thmey), Laos (Pi Mai Lao), Myanmar (Thingyan), and in prefectures in the Yunnan province, China (Dai minority, Poshujie). These mark the new year on the Buddhist calendar, which typically falls in mid-April on the Gregorian calendar. The act of “sprinkling water” is a sign of respect, cleansing, and a wish for prosperity for the person you’re splashing and has grown into a days-long celebration where civilians and tourists alike douse each other in water with whatever tools they have, including pots, pans, buckets, water guns, and hoses. This is also a time for people to visit family and pay their respects at temples, where water is poured on images of the Buddha and on the hands of Buddhist monks. One washes away last year’s misfortune and brings in good fortune for the year ahead.

As a student assembly, APASA aims to incorporate advocacy into all of our events. To join our giveaway raffle, participants chose a question to answer on a sticky note. Questions included: What do you want to leave behind this school year? What do you want to take with you this school year? What do you/your family do to celebrate the new year? What would you like to have good fortune in this year? New Year’s is a time to pay respects to your elders, what is something you’re grateful to your family for? Many of us take clean, running water for granted, how would you and your community be affected if you lost access to water? The questions were created with the essence of Water Festivals, the emphasis on respecting elders and ancestors, and our privilege in using clean water so freely in mind.

Besides the giveaway (a Round Lab sunscreen, Owala water bottle, and Fujifilm Instax camera) and splashing others with water, participants were drawn in by the drinks catered by Emporium Thai and music performed by Band Kori. Emporium Thai is one of APASA’s most beloved restaurant partners, having catered many previous events. They have been voted one of the Top 100 Best Thai restaurants in the country and has named their mango sticky rice dessert after Cardi B, who also loves their food. Students got to choose between Thai tea and coconut juice! Band Kori, USC’s one and only K-pop band, is also beloved by APASA! They performed at last year’s Cultural Art’s Expo, and we loved them so much we begged them to return and set the vibes for Water Fest! This time, they graced us with their rendition of "U&I" by Ailee.

Alice’s Experience!

Alice and fellow interns! (from left to right: Alice, Justin, and Amanda)

Water Festival was the first event I was involved in as an APASA intern. Not wanting to get my clothes wet from the water balloons, I stayed on the sidelines, working at the raffle booth. From there, I had a whole-frame view of the whole event– the refreshments served by Emporium Thai, the splashes of water lit in gold by the sunlight, filtered through the trees– it was fulfilling. For me, the meaning lay in the fact that I was able to be a part of something so much bigger than myself, spreading awareness about APIDA cultures through something fun, and seeing the school community show up and really enjoy our event. The advocacy element of Water Festival, as well as the catering, and the planning made the event all the more thought out. I’m really grateful that this was my first APASA event, and even though I didn’t get splashed with the cleansing waters, it was still a wonderful kickoff for my intern experience.

APASA Water Festival 2024