More than 50 students and faculty members learned about various Asian cultures in a celebration of the Lunar New Year hosted by the Asian Student Association (ASA) on Feb. 2.
The festival began with presentations by Bryce Fan ’20, Janice Kang ’20, Ningyi Fu ’19 and Hoang Do ’17, who explained the differences between the traditions and values that are celebrated within various Asian cultures, such as in Korea, China and Vietnam.
Attendees then had the opportunity to embrace the customs seen in these cultures even more, as they indulged in Chinese food, crafted their own origami and wrote what their wishes were for the new year. Tables were also covered in hóngbao (which are red envelopes typically filled with money and seen as forms of good luck), while bright lanterns hung from the walls.
ASA Discussion Chair Sindy Liu ’18, who helped coordinate the event’s festivities, expressed the importance of celebrating Lunar New Year especially on campus.
“For me, Lunar New Year is a holiday where I get to spend time with my family, but since a lot of my family is spread across the east coast, it’s a very rare chance that I get to see all of them,” said Liu. Even by celebrating on the Hamilton campus, she acknowledged that Lunar New Year is “just a time where I get to be with the people I love.”
