Lunar New Year celebrations have begun. Intricate scarlet lanterns shimmer above the streets of Chinatown, hung from strings twined around streetlamps and poles. Laughter echoes within the various homes of people celebrating the holiday. As families and friends reunite to celebrate, they each wish each other a happy new year and good health.
For U-High students who will celebrate the Year of the Horse on Feb. 17, spending time with friends, carefully retrieving money from red envelopes and mealtimes with family are hallmarks of the 15-day festival.
Junior David Li is one U-High student who celebrates Lunar New Year.
“On a weekend around Lunar New Year, my family and I will go to a friend’s house and celebrate with a lot of other families,” he said. “Usually we will have a nice meal together.”
As a member of Asian Students’ Association, David also helps coordinate and plan the ASA Lunar New Year potluck, an annual event hosted early February that typically has significant attendance and popularity.
“That’s a really great way for the U-High community to come together and celebrate,” he said.
David believes that even if a student is not Asian, the event is a beneficial way for someone to experience the culture, happiness and bonding of Lunar New Year.
Ken Wang, a sophomore, also notices the importance of family and coming together during the holiday. While he describes his family’s celebration of the event as minimal, he said they emphasize simply being together.
He often celebrates with his grandmother and other family members with a shared dinner, sometimes at a restaurant, and receives red envelopes of money.
These envelopes, generally given to younger family members, are a common Lunar New Year tradition, and their red color is a symbol of good luck and joy.
“You get money,” Ken said. “And you wish your family a happy new year and good health.”
For both Ken and David, spending time with family and feeling a sense of community are the important elements of the holiday.
David said, “It’s a chance for people to bond and connect through our culture together.”
