Association includes student body in Lunar New Year celebration
Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the first lunar month Thursday.
Also known as the Lunar New Year in the U.S., it is a major holiday to the Chinese as New Year’s Eve and Christmas are to Americans.
This year, the Chinese Friendship Association held its annual Chinese New Year celebration with a different twist. The event has been traditionally a closed affair.
This year, however, festivities were expanded to include the entire student body. The event was held Sunday at the Starlight Terrace, starting at 6 p.m.
“At first we were going to hold it for Chinese members only but then the ISO came in and suggested we share the event with everybody on campus,” said Wen Ji, Chinese Friendship Association president. “It was a good idea, so we decided to hold a bigger event and let people experience performances and enjoy Chinese food.
“We decided to showcase Chinese culture by performing songs, dances and traditional instrument playing.”
ISO President Hui Hui Ang said she thought the event was a success.
“The Lunar New Year is a traditional Chinese event that has spread to other countries so the ISO came in and convinced them to hold the event on a bigger scale.” Ang said. “The turnout was really good, especially since it was held at the same time as the Super Bowl. The room was packed the entire night.”
New China Buffet provided the food. Various cuisine was served, including shrimp, duck and chicken dishes. Guests were also treated to a variety of cultural performances.
Chinese Friendship Association members kicked off the festivities with fan dancing. There was also a Tai Chi Chuan exhibition and singing of Chinese songs. The 24 Seasons Malaysian Drum Troupe made a guest performance.
Between the major performances, games such as musical chairs were played to lighten the mood. Several members of the Chinese Friendship Assocation also performed solo acts.
Many students came for the free food but ended up enjoying the entire evening.
“I heard about this event from my friend and I wanted to come for a free dinner,” said Ching Kwan, a finance senior. “I think the event was very good and many people not just Chinese people showed up. It was good to meet new people and see traditional performances.”
The festival marked the latest in a series of ISO events, beginning with the Welcome Back Dance Party. Ang said she was confident in her staff and she expects every subsequent event to live up to the high standards set in the beginning of the year.
The next ISO event is the International Bazaar on Feb. 23.
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