Students connect to heritage with Lunar New Year celebrations
Fireworks, food and an abundance of the color red can only mean one thing: the Lunar New Year is here.
The Lunar New Year fell on Jan. 22 this year and consisted of multi-day celebrations. While the Lunar New Year often gets attributed to being the Chinese New Year, there are other countries that celebrate and bring their own traditions to the holiday.
Many are proclaiming 2023 the year of the rabbit, but that does not apply to every Asian country. In Vietnam, 2023 marks the year of the cat due to the different in zodiac animals in each culture.
When the Lunar New Year comes around, it is not just a one-day celebration. Multiple days are allotted either before or after the Lunar New Year. This time is given so that people can travel home to be with their families.
The number of days varies by country. For example, China takes 15 days while other countries like Vietnam and North and South Korea only take three.
“It’s pretty much about coming back with family and starting the new year with the people you love," Holland sophomore Isaiah Nguyen said.
Celebrations center around family getting together and preparing traditional food. Nguyen and his family spend all day prepping for the main meal. For his family, freshly made spring rolls are a staple every year.
Other traditions use fireworks to get rid of evil spirits from the previous year and make space for better ones in the new year.
Another aspect of the Lunar new Year is the importance of the color red. It symbolizes good luck and good fortune. Red envelopes of money are given out by either elderly, well-off individuals or sometimes just by parents. These packages or envelopes can be given to anyone that celebrates. The lucky money is meant to signify prosperity in the coming year.
Central Michigan University's lack of events for the Lunar New Year this past week left many students wondering how they were going to celebrate.
“I was a little disappointed about that because I was looking for something,” Nguyen said. “If (the Lunar New Year) is in the middle of the week I’m like ‘I can’t make it home because I have classes.'”
One of the only celebrations on campus was put on by the Organization of Asian Leaders (OAL). The celebration took place on Jan. 24 during its general meeting at the Education and Human Services building. The OAL provided food from Dragon Express and talked about upcoming fundraising and social events. The main activity for the evening consisted of cutting out a red envelope and writing a note for either yourself or somebody else.
The OAL is a diverse group made up of students from various backgrounds and cultures. Some celebrate the Lunar New Year more so than others, but everyone puts their own spin on it.
Grand Rapids freshman Lindsey Nguyen, who is not related to Isaiah Nguyen, is a member of OAL and celebrates by going to her Vietnamese Catholic church. She said that depending on what day of the week it falls on, the church hosts mass on the closest Sunday. She also stated that the way she celebrates may not be the same as other people in different towns.
“We wear our traditional Vietnamese dress and the adults pass out the lucky money,” Nguyen said. “We watch the dragon dance, teenagers and young adults get into that dragon suit and dance around to the traditional gongs and drums.”
Rockford Freshman Megan Hart mentioned how important it is to stay in touch with her culture, even if you are thousands of miles away from where your family originated. Part of the way that she celebrates is by going out to eat and getting an Asian pineapple bun.
“Lunar New Year is important to me because it’s part of my heritage as an Asian-American," Hart said. “I’m half white, half Asian, so I like to connect to both sides.”
Celebrations of the Lunar New Year ranged across the globe. According to Times Magazine, an estimated 2 billion people celebrate every year. Countries in Eastern Asia are the main areas that celebrate, but many people in America or other countries use this time to reconnect with their roots.
During a time that was supposed to be spent with dancing and gift giving, Monterey Park, California faced tragedy. During a Lunar New Year celebration at a Chinese-owned dance hall, a gunman opened fire leaving 11 dead and nine injured.
On a day that was meant to be a joyous celebration of bringing in the new year, many across the world are left in shock and anguish.
The OAL will have a table at MainStage Jan. 29 at Finch Fieldhouse where the campus community can come and learn about how to empower Asian leaders and how to celebrate Asian culture.
