LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

by Sarah Lin

Lunar New Year is the most important and festive holiday of the year for many Asian countries. The word “lunar” means determined by the moon; Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar year, of which the months are categorized by moon cycles To celebrate this holiday, Wisco holds an annual Lunar New Year party and invites international students and mentors to attend.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by different cultures in varying ways For example, Japanese people do Hatsumode, which is the practice of visiting a shrine or temple Vietnamese and Chinese people will often give red pocket money to children and visit their families and relatives as well. Of course, there are several common traditions, too, such as holding big meals with families and lighting firecrackers and fireworks.

The annual Wisco Lunar New Year Party this year focused on sharing cultural differences and joy

The best-rated feature of the party is the delicious food Students try traditional food from different countries, such as: Chinese dumplings and boiled fish, Vietnamese spring rolls, and Korean kimchi. Food always brings back fond memories Being able to eat food from home in a foreign country brings satisfaction and happiness to international students As a student described, “The food in my hometown seems to make me feel like I am at home.” For the mentors, who are American students, these foods brought them new experiences and opened the door to a new world Welcome to the world of foreign food!

The most common comment from the students regarding the festivities as a whole is “fun” and “interesting.” The organizers of the party provided different kinds of card games, like chess, Chinese mahjong, poker, and Vietnamese Bộ bài Tây. The international students taught American students how to play these table games, which brought people closer together. Also, the students set up karaoke to give people a chance to show off their voices During this celebration, students sang together and encouraged others

The overall atmosphere was very harmonious; the audience either sang with the people performing, or they cheered and applauded

The photo booth provided people with a way to record their fun times People called their good friends over into the booth, made funny faces together, and took pictures This activity was very meaningful, especially for the seniors, since this is their last year at WLHS. Photos save beautiful memories forever. When students look at the photos many years later, those unforgettable memories will bloom again.

The Lunar New Year party brought many people closer together and made an indelible time in their memory It also allowed for people to have a greater international perspective and to understand multi-national cultures