During the week of Lunar New Year, the Asian American Alliance (AAA) and Asian Culture Club (ACC) joined forces to decorate the hallways and distribute Asian snacks to Upper School students with the goal of bringing the atmosphere and traditions of Lunar New Year to the GA community.
The celebration of Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival to some, marks the start of the new year and is celebrated in countries including China, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. The celebration landed on February 12th this year, and it typically occurs between January 21st and February 20th every year. The holiday is named Lunar New Year because it falls on the first new moon on the lunisolar calendar used by many Asian countries.
Lunar New Year traditions vary among different countries, but a few key elements of the celebrations remain the same worldwide. The lucky color red is displayed in every household and seen on decorations such as paper lanterns, paintings with Chinese characters, and paper cuttings that people hang up for the holiday. Additionally, themes of family, luck, and food resonate throughout the festival.
This year, members of the AAA and ACC teamed up to bring the festivities of Lunar New Year into the GA community. Members hung up decorations such as handmade paper lanterns, paper dragons, and lucky symbols. Upper School students also received a dress-down day in which they were asked to wear red to attract good luck. Additionally, takeout boxes containing fortune cookies, Asian crackers, Yakult, and Hi-Chews were distributed to students during lunch on the 11th.
Most importantly, the AAA and ACC had the ultimate goal of encouraging students to recognize and appreciate the Lunar New Year traditions and culture of Asian countries. Jason Wang ’22, a student leader of the ACC, expressed that through this event, both clubs achieved their main goal, which was “to promote Asian culture and bring more awareness across the school.” The clubs also wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a traditional Lunar New Year celebration at GA. Eileen Zhang ’21, another ACC student leader, explains, “We sort of wanted the school to reflect how a lot of us celebrate [Lunar New Year] in our own homes.”
Furthermore, Ms. Tsung Tsai, head of the Upper School Chinese department and faculty advisor for both the AAA and ACC, revealed that these events help “make the community more aware of our [Asian] festivals and culture.” She also expressed her wish for the Lunar New Year celebration to make Asian culture more widely recognized across the community, stating that “an understanding of different cultures will create a more harmonious environment for students.”
Though Lunar New Year celebrations are now over, the AAA and ACC continue to uphold their goals of appreciating Asian culture and highlighting Asian voices in the community. Lunar New Year is an important holiday in many Asian countries, and by recognizing these traditions, students can gain more understanding about various cultures.
Sources:
https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a34892893/what-is-lunar-new-year-festival/
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/new-year-decoration.htm
