Ringing in the Year of the Dog
1 March 2018 Ringing in the Year of the Dog
Celebrating the end of the Year of the Rooster and welcoming the Year of the Dog, students from the Asian Student Union (ASU) will observe the Lunar New Year with a semi-formal reception in Bartlett Theatre on Friday, Feb. 23 from 6:30 8:30 p.m. This years festivities will feature performances fromPerfect Third, HipNotiQs and Hobartones, as well as dance and vocal actsby ASU members.
The upcoming Lunar New Year event is significant because it is part of the tradition to have a huge feast with family; and because we are not home to celebrate, the dinner is important to bring everyone together to usher in the new year, says ASU President Charmaine Chung 19, who is excited to share her Asian heritage with all students.
For Yating Zhang 19, former ASU president, the campus event means making and eating dumplings together. In past years, they would boil dumplings before the event and enjoy them during the performances. Although Zhang is studying abroad in Germany this semester, she plans to replay the show with her friends abroad.
The Lunar New Year is one the most important holidays in Asian culture. The two-week celebration is based on the lunar calendar and traditionally falls between late-January and early-February. Traditional rituals include giving gifts of money to children in red envelopes whose color is believed to bring good luck. In China and other parts of Southeast Asia, traditions include visiting family members in rural parts of the country, hosting fireworks and having family reunion dinners.
Tickets will be on sale for $5/each in the Scandling Campus Center. In addition to the Lunar New Year celebration, the Asian Student Union will host a trip to Ithaca for karaoke and sponsor a traditional Asian Night Market later this spring.