UTC's Asian Student Association (ASA) celebrates Lunar New Year by gathering students at tables lined with brightly colored mandarin oranges, rice crackers, shrimp chips, tanghulu (a Chinese candied fruit dessert) and other sweets. I invited you.
While the ASA event was held on February 7, 2024 on the ground floor of Lupton, the Lunar New Year festivities will officially begin on February 10 and end with the Lantern Festival on February 24. According to the ASA presentation, Lunar New Year is celebrated in the majority of countries in Asia.
Lunar New Year welcomes the arrival of spring according to the lunisolar calendar, and families gather together to pray for happiness and good fortune for the coming year.
Various students pointed out that what they like most about Chinese New Year is food, lion dances, and receiving red envelopes, but mainly for the money, but mainly to wish the recipient good luck in the new year. Ta.
ASA freshman secretary/treasurer Emily Nguyen said Lunar New Year “marks the beginning of prosperity.” People celebrate by eating lots of food, and some even clean their homes. In Asian cultures, older family members often give money to younger family members. I know I enjoy that part… It’s important culturally because it’s what brings families together. ”
Each year has a representative animal. Similar to astrological zodiac signs, a person born in each year is said to reflect the characteristics of one of his 12 Chinese animals, such as the wisdom of the rat or the courage of the tiger. Masu.
2024 is known as the Year of the Dragon, the year of strong and ambitious people. Therefore, according to legend, it is important to seize potential opportunities and practice mindfulness during the New Year.
The event provided students with snacks, a photo area with Lunar New Year props, and scratch-off fortune cards.
ASA members pointed out that certain Chinese cultural elements, such as lion dances, dragon dances, niangao (rice cakes), and dumplings, make up the distinctive Lunar New Year festival.
“I think you'll see a lot of street vendors selling a lot of food, like in Asian cultures, where there's often a lion dance. Even here in America, we have a lot of dance crews doing the lion dance. and I know he did a lion dance at the Chattanooga Zoo,” Nguyen said. “It was interesting and fun to be able to immerse myself in the culture, even for someone who knew nothing about it.”
One of the points that ASA members emphasized was the importance of helping people who have not been exposed to Asian culture before enjoy and be aware of important events like Chinese New Year.
Keena Mulligan, a new student and ASA member, said, “I'm here because I've only ever celebrated Lunar New Year with my family, so I'm excited to see how other people celebrate it. I wanted to celebrate with my peers and students.” ”
Finally, ASA social media manager Lauren Chan said the Lunar New Year fostered a sense of unity. Students come together to celebrate auspicious occasions in many Asian cultures, happily eating snacks and sharing treasures, all the while exchanging cultures and values that would not otherwise be possible. is completed.
Check us out on Instagram and MocSync to stay up to date on upcoming ASA events, including upcoming Valentine's Day events: https://mocsyncorgs.utc.edu/organization/asa
