The Vietnamese Student Association celebrates the “Feast of the First Day,” which commemorates the beginning of the Vietnamese calendar year. The audience learned about cultural heritage and dances such as the Lion Dance, which features several performers dancing in a large dragon costume.
Celebrating the New Year is something all cultures, whether Western or Asian, have in common.
The Vietnamese Student Association celebrated the beginning of the Vietnamese calendar year by holding its annual Tet Festival in the Sequoyah Room at Student Union on Saturday. The event ran from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and saw a healthy turnout.
“Tet is actually short for Tet Nguyen Dan, which means ‘Feast of the First Day,’” VSA President Van Nguyen said. “It is based on the Chinese New Year. To us, it is like Christmas is to the Americans. We get together with family and dress up while enjoying traditional Vietnamese food.”
There were plenty of drinks and performances. Guests were mixed among Vietnamese, Americans and Americans raised Vietnamese. A Lion Dance was performed, as well as other cultural Vietnamese dances and games.
Lion Dancing is a kind of dance where several performers put on a dragon costume and complete a routine. It is rarely seen in Western exhibitions but has recently grown more popular.
The Tet Festival offers a way for some Vietnamese to observe their cultural heritage.
“I heard about this event from my friends in the VSA,” said Toan Le, an electrical engineering senior. “I have membership in both the VSA and the Vietnamese American Student Association. It’s a way to meet friends and people from my native country. I also remember my roots at an event like this, which is important.”
Others said they saw it as a way to bring together people from the same region of the world.
“I came because it was New Year,” said Samuel Lin, an electrical engineering senior. “Every Asian culture has some kind of New Year celebration. If there is a gathering to celebrate it, I would definitely like to attend. The Lion Dance was really special, and the atmosphere is great.”
