By Michael Yu, Feb. 1, 2022
As the Lunar New Year approaches, Asian and Pacific Islander communities from around the world prepare for a day full of family, food and festivities. As billions of people begin planning for the celebration worldwide, members of the Cal Poly Pomona community shared the cultural impact of the holiday and what it means to them.
This year, CPP’s Asian and Pacific Islander Student Center, or APISC, is hosting its 19th consecutive celebration of the holiday for the community on Feb. 1.
Coordinator of the APISC Kayla Kosaki shared the importance of the holiday and it being celebrated on campus.
“It is important for the campus to be visibly celebrating the Lunar New Year and diverse cultures to show the broader community that our differences and cultures are beautiful and worth sharing,” said Kosaki. “Our families and traditions are important because they give us the fuel to do well.”
Each Lunar New Year brings with it a different zodiac animal. From the quick-witted and resourceful Rat to the confident and intelligent Dragon, there is a wide variety of personalities conveyed through the animals. This is the year of the Tiger, known to be quick-witted, resourceful, versatile and kind.
With the event hosted over Zoom, organizers emphasized that it will be a place to learn about the holiday and teach the different ways it is celebrated across various lifestyles.
The beginning of Lunar New Year is one that is shrouded in legend. One of the most popular legends is that of the monster, Nian, who would attack villagers at the start of every new year but was afraid of bright lights, the color red and loud music.
This fear inspired the prominent and long-lasting use of red decorations and clothes as well as the use of fireworks and firecrackers to both scare away the monster and celebrate the new year.
The Lunar New Year features many traditional activities, with one of the most celebrated being the youth receiving red envelopes filled with money from family elders. Hospitality management student Daphne Chan stated that the red envelopes are a way to wish for prosperity in the new year.
Some of the other activities celebrated during the Lunar New Year are a thorough cleaning of the house that is said to sweep away any misfortune or bad luck and a lantern festival on the 15th day of the celebration that promotes reconciliation, peace and forgiveness.
One of the most important parts of the holiday is the family reunion dinner where family members from all around the world reunite to celebrate the day together. Engineering student Johnathan Ng expressed the significance of the family gathering.
“The family dinner is a way for us to celebrate our rich culture,” said Ng. “We all come together to eat traditional food, re-connect with family and wish for a prosperous new year.”
There are many dishes customarily served at this dinner from tang yuan, sticky rice balls with a sweet black sesame filling, to dumplings filled with cabbage and radish that is said to bestow the person with fair skin and a gentle mood.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many families have had to adjust to how they celebrate the new year.
“Usually, we would visit my family in Taiwan, but due to the pandemic we haven’t seen each other for three years,” said Alison Chen, an employee at the Chen Art Gallery in Torrance. “We celebrate with who we can here and talk to our other distant family members through Zoom.”
The Lunar New Year is a time for celebration, nourishment and family for many people across several different cultural backgrounds. With CPP having students from all walks of life, the holiday is an important day for celebrating the different cultures and people on campus.
“This day is important because the global pandemic has created the need for spaces to celebrate and experience joy and community together,” said Kosaki. “Dealing with anti-Asian sentiments during the pandemic made it important to show the community that we are proud of our culture.”
To learn more about Asian culture and the Lunar New Year, the CPP community can visit the CPP APISC website.
Featured image courtesy of Kayla Kosaki.