Asian Student Groups Collaborate for Lunar New Year Celebration
Elizabeth Tuttle
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Features
According to Jennifer Li '11, a co-chair of CISCO, the conventions are usually "around the same" for different families, "with little alterations depending on the different countries." Li recalled, "The day before New Year's Day you clean the house and you clean everything; you get a haircut before then. Once it's the New Year, you're not supposed to clean for three days because if you clean it will take away all the good luck."
Heng Tam '10, the other co-chair of CISCO, noted, "You're not supposed to buy shoes because the word in Cantonese sounds…like a sigh. It's like it's bad luck!"
As a result of such varied and rich traditions, the event will serve the dual purpose of celebrating Asian heritage and of educating the community. "We really want to make it a community thing. In the past, a lot of Northampton and Pioneer Valley families come and bring their kids. There's a big Vietnamese adoption population in the Valley, so their parents usually bring them along," Thuy noted.
"We want to try to make it like a festival, like a carnival type of deal," she said. "You pay for a certain amount of tickets and that's how you pay for food."
At the festival, the different student groups are working together to bring several traditional desserts for the New Year. Heng cited popular desserts tong yuen and sticky rice cakes as featured items. "It's not going to be dinner, but there will be little snacks," Judy Lei '11, a member of CISCO, stated.
Lei, has been energetically recruiting dancers for the ribbon dance routine that she is organizing. Other group members will be fashioning their own activities and performances based around traditional Asian culture, like letter making, origami and sushi. Also at the event will be a fortuneteller who, according to Heng, "is supposed to be a god of fortune and wealth…it's like Santa!"
The lion dancing routine has customarily been the most popular of the events, in which a professional group performs the traditional dance. Performers mimic a lion's movement in a lion costume. "A lot of people go to watch because not too many places offer them and you can't really see them often," Thuy explained.
The Year of the Rat has been welcomed since ancient times as a prosperous and protective year, as the first of the 12-year cycle of animals. As each animal and year carries different characteristics, the rat is often associated with aggression, wealth, charm, death and atrocities.
"Come celebrate the New Year in a different way! A lot of people don't know that there are many ways to celebrate the New Year in various cultures," Thuy stated. "With the Lunar New Year, a lot of people know about it, but they don't really know anything about the traditions. Come see shows you wouldn't normally see, like the lion dance!"
The celebration will be held in the Davis Ballroom on Sunday, March 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Heng Tam '10, the other co-chair of CISCO, noted, "You're not supposed to buy shoes because the word in Cantonese sounds…like a sigh. It's like it's bad luck!"
As a result of such varied and rich traditions, the event will serve the dual purpose of celebrating Asian heritage and of educating the community. "We really want to make it a community thing. In the past, a lot of Northampton and Pioneer Valley families come and bring their kids. There's a big Vietnamese adoption population in the Valley, so their parents usually bring them along," Thuy noted.
"We want to try to make it like a festival, like a carnival type of deal," she said. "You pay for a certain amount of tickets and that's how you pay for food."
At the festival, the different student groups are working together to bring several traditional desserts for the New Year. Heng cited popular desserts tong yuen and sticky rice cakes as featured items. "It's not going to be dinner, but there will be little snacks," Judy Lei '11, a member of CISCO, stated.
Lei, has been energetically recruiting dancers for the ribbon dance routine that she is organizing. Other group members will be fashioning their own activities and performances based around traditional Asian culture, like letter making, origami and sushi. Also at the event will be a fortuneteller who, according to Heng, "is supposed to be a god of fortune and wealth…it's like Santa!"
The lion dancing routine has customarily been the most popular of the events, in which a professional group performs the traditional dance. Performers mimic a lion's movement in a lion costume. "A lot of people go to watch because not too many places offer them and you can't really see them often," Thuy explained.
The Year of the Rat has been welcomed since ancient times as a prosperous and protective year, as the first of the 12-year cycle of animals. As each animal and year carries different characteristics, the rat is often associated with aggression, wealth, charm, death and atrocities.
"Come celebrate the New Year in a different way! A lot of people don't know that there are many ways to celebrate the New Year in various cultures," Thuy stated. "With the Lunar New Year, a lot of people know about it, but they don't really know anything about the traditions. Come see shows you wouldn't normally see, like the lion dance!"
The celebration will be held in the Davis Ballroom on Sunday, March 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.
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