The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, was celebrated on Jan. 29. Germantown Academy’s Asian American Student Association (AASA) once again hosted festive activities surrounding the holiday.
Lunar New Year carries great significance in Asian culture, as it celebrates the traditional passing of one year into another and the importance of family. People often celebrate the Lunar New Year by gathering their whole family and having a feast.
“It’s really nice for the community to get together and celebrate and have a feast if you don’t celebrate Lunar New Year outside of GA,” Andy Yu ‘27 said. “It’s nice to get to experience what it’s like to celebrate it.”
Along with the idea of gathering together, the Lunar New Year also highlights the idea of unity and the joy of sharing food with loved ones.
“When we look at American holidays…I consider Thanksgiving to be the one most closely related to the Lunar New Year,” Chinese Teacher and AASA Faculty Sponsor Ms. Tsung Tsai said. “Everybody wants to go home; that meal is such a big meal that everybody really enjoys.”
There are various traditions and beliefs associated with this holiday. For example, people hold the ideas of new beginnings and wealth during this time, often cleaning the house or wearing red to symbolize prosperity and good luck.
“We have a tradition where we clean up everything, like a big spring cleaning,” Ms. Tsai said. “You can say that the purpose is to get rid of those bad things, the old things, the unlucky things, and we’re going to start fresh, new, and with a good start.”
Traditionally, the new year is a time for loved ones to gather, share a meal together, and remember their ancestors. The holiday serves as a reminder of the importance of connections, with many traditions rooted in building and maintaining bonds between family and friends.
“My grandparents from both sides of the family would come over a couple days before the Lunar New Year and we would have a big family dinner,” Elena Lin ‘25 said. “Me and the older people in my family would exchange envelopes, clean the house and laundry to get [rid of] all the bad luck from the previous year.”
In preparation for the Lunar New Year, the leaders of AASA dedicated their time to organizing various activities that brought the celebration to life. The club leaders worked collaboratively with its members to prepare a welcoming and festive environment for the new year.
Their spirit is displayed in the decorating of the Upper School building, as shown through the various lanterns hung in the hallways, ‘福 (wealth)’ posters, and other decorative Chinese New Year items.
The club had a celebration of the new year and brought in various Asian dishes on Jan. 30. This is meant to bring the community together and integrate Chinese New Year culture into GA. AASA also hosted events between the exchange students from Capital Normal High School and GA students.
In addition to the banquet, the students taking Chinese language classes created videos, which will be uploaded on the GA website for public viewing. There was also a Lunar New Year-related poetry reading and a sign decorating event in the library on Jan. 29 (Lunar New Year’s Day) involving the Chinese exchange students.
AASA hosted various events to honor the new year last month, providing an opportunity for everyone at GA to experience different cultural celebrations. Through this, they have helped provide the GA community with a more diverse range of perspectives, sharing traditions from all over the world.