The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in Asian culture. This holiday celebrates the new year and also represents the importance of honoring one's ancestors. Most importantly, this celebration brings friends and family together to celebrate the joyous event. The Kean University community all came together Feb. 5 to celebrate the year of the pig while also educating students on the traditions of the different Asian cultures.
The celebration included several stations with varying activities and information. When students first walked into the Miron Student Center (MSC) Atrium, they signed in and received a checklist including the several stations, making it their goal to receive a stamp from each.
Several stations were dedicated to different Asian countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year. Firstly, there was China, which had different food for the students to try. They had different types of dumplings, which represent wealth in Chinese culture. They also had an informational poster on Chinese banners, which share messages of good luck, offers a warm welcome and wishes good fortune and is a common decoration for this holiday.
Another country represented was the Philippines, which served egg rolls. Next up was the Thailand table which gave out Kean swag for students to enjoy. The table representing the country of Korea gave students the opportunity to try on garments from Korean culture. Additionally, they had a traditional board game called Yoot-Nori where students could compete against each other.
Other tables at the event included a candy table with popular Asian treats, calligraphy table where students learned how to write Thai numbers and a Bubble Tea station as well.
Dragons are a symbol of good luck for the new year.
As students tried to get all of their stations stamped, a performance transpired throughout the atrium which included drumming and dancing dragons, a sign of good luck in Chinese culture.
Kean student Stephanie Kontra said, "I think that there's a substantial amount of people here, and it shows the great diversity of campus, and it's great for the school!"
Not only were there tables with food and entertaining festivities, but there were informational tables as well for the students that wanted to become more informed. For example, there was a table with information on obtaining a bachelor's degree in Asian Studies. To learn more about this program, make sure to check out the Kean website.
If one wants to learn more about opportunities in International Studies or how to study abroad, make sure to visit the Kean website. Also, Wenzhou-Kean University Student Association (WKUSA) had an informational table on the studying opportunities that are available at Kean's Wenzhou campus in China. For more information, make sure to read our previous article on Wenzhou Kean.
