Western Washington University is hosting celebrations of Lunar New Year starting on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Festivities include a gala hosted by the Chinese Language and Culture program along with themed meals by Dining at WWU.
Every year, the Chinese department hosts a Chinese New Year gala for all students to attend. Claudia Liu, a Chinese instructor at Western, explained how the event will allow students to experience Chinese New Year traditions.
The event is on Friday, Jan. 31, and will be celebrated with a free buffet featuring authentic food and snacks, performances by students, and booths with calligraphy workshops and toy making, Liu said.
Information on the Chinese New Year Gala happening on Friday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. in the Miller Hall Collaborative Space. The event will include performances, food and snacks. // Graphic courtesy of the WWU Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
She also shared that two culturally significant aspects of Lunar New Year will be shared at the gala. One being the opening of red envelopes, or “hóng bāo” in Mandarin. The second being the dragon dance performed by students of the Chinese program.
Traditionally, children receive cash inside red envelopes from their parents and family friends. The more envelopes received, the more luck someone will have in the new year. At Western’s Chinese New Year Gala, red envelopes will be given to attendees through games.
“What we do is give small presents or some traditional snacks in the red envelope,” Liu said.
Another significant tradition is the dragon dance, which sometimes features a lion. For the first time at Western, Liu said students will perform this tradition by holding sticks attached to a dragon puppet.
“Usually, a village or a community will hire a group of professional artists [for the dance],” Liu said.
Liu hopes that this year Western can bring the culture of Lunar New Year to students who already celebrate and to those who want to learn about it.
Aryanna Huang, a first-year student at Western, stresses the importance of spending time with family for Lunar New Year. Her traditions of the holiday include visiting a temple to honor ancestors, visiting extended family and attending a parade or night market.
Huang is going home for the first weekend of Lunar New Year and plans to have at least two dinner events with family. Being at college and away from family makes celebrating the holiday difficult for some students.
“The new year definitely creates a sense of community between students,” Huang said. “It is the biggest celebration of the year.”
Huang explained that the Chinese zodiac is a significant aspect of the holiday; but one that her family does not celebrate as much as others.
“[The zodiac] comes out the strongest during Lunar New Year,” Huang said. “It feels like it’s not a big thing until it hits your star sign season, and then catered things come to you… You’re celebrating, big things happen to you, and then the next year hits and it’s that zodiac’s time.”
At the start of Lunar New Year, a new zodiac sign season starts. This year is the year of the snake.
Another Lunar New Year event is being hosted by Dining at WWU to celebrate the importance of food to the holiday. There are three dining hall meal specials, one at each dining hall. Meals are inspired by the book “The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family,” by Jill, Judy, Sarah and Kaitlin Leung.
A graphic details Dining at WWU’s events for Lunar New Year. Meal specials will be held Wednesday and Thursday at the Viking Commons, Ridgeway Commons and Fairhaven Commons. // Graphic courtesy of Alexandra Perez.
“The meals will include dishes like shrimp with ginger and scallions, hot and spicy tofu, cabbage stir-fry, long-life noodles, pork and vegetable dumplings and more,” Alexandra Perez, the senior marketing manager for Dining at WWU, wrote in an email.
The first meal will be on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 11 a.m. at theFood Hall at Viking Commons. The next meal is later that day at 4 p.m. at the The Eatery at Ridgeway Commons. The final meal is on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 4 p.m. at Planet Eats at Fairhaven Commons.
“These foods include some of the ‘Lucky Foods’ that are believed to bring good luck for the coming year,” Perez wrote. “We hope that members of the campus community come and enjoy the festivities.”
Allie Van Parys is a campus life reporter for The Front. They are in their second year at Western, majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Public Relations. In their free time, you can find them playing the drums, making collages, and hanging out at the beach. You can contact them at allievanparys.thefront@gmail.com.
