Although most United States citizens celebrated the new year on Jan. 1, many Asian nations using the lunar calendar, like China and Korea, will celebrate the Lunar New Year this Friday.
Much like the New Year’s celebration in the U.S., the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is a time for new life and hope for the countries celebrating it. But what makes the Lunar New Year different, besides its date falling between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 every year based on the phases of the moon, is the level of tradition surrounding it and the type of celebration it evokes. Depending on the country, Lunar New Year festivities can last up to 15 days filled with traditional dragon dances, firecrackers and special practices auspicious for good luck.
The Lunar New Year 2018, or the year of the dog on the Chinese Zodiac, falls on Feb. 16, and several Asian organizations on campus are bringing a part of the celebration to the University of Memphis. For the next two weeks, organizations like the Chinese Student Association (CSA), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) and Asian American Association (AAA) are hosting events offering students the chance to experience authentic Asian culture.
“The Lunar New Year is just like Christmas in America,” Liang Zhang, CSA president, said. “It’s the biggest festival for us. Chinese Spring Festival means that all the family members will come together. It’s a day to unite for all the family members.”
The members of CSA want their event to promote unity within the Chinese community on campus, Zhang said.
“We hope this event can get most of the Chinese students and teachers at the University of Memphis to stay together,” Zhang said. “Because we are in America, and we are foreign, maybe we feel alone . . . we will have the same activities to have them feel they are not alone. We are together.”
The first of these events was a variety performance hosted by the Greater Memphis United Chinese Association in the Rose Theatre last Saturday. The next event will be CSA’s Chinese Spring Festival celebration this Saturday in the University Center River Room from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event will include traditional Chinese food, music, games and live Kung Fu performances.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Memphis (CIUM), an organization that promotes Chinese culture on campus, will also host a Spring Festival Celebration concert Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Rose Theatre. The program will feature a performance by the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, a famous college of music from China.
CIUM student worker and AAA President Carly David said this performance will give students a Chinese musical experience they cannot get from “the first couple of hits on Google.”
“It’s as traditional as you can get without going to China,” David said. “It’s very raw. The performers are straight from China, so these are very authentic performances.”
With the Spring Festival being a time to spend with family, David said the authenticity of the Rose Theatre concert will help Asian students who are unable to be with their families feel more at home during the holiday.
“This is a time where you’re really supposed to be with family,” David said. “So, even if they can’t go home, they can at least get a taste of home through this performance.”
More information about these events or more upcoming Lunar New Year events can be found on Tiger Zone and the weekly Student E-News email.
The Lunar New Year is not on Jan. 1 because its date is determined by the lunar calendar, causing it to fall every year between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. This year, the celebration will occur on Feb. 16.
The Lunar New Year often referred to as Chinese New Year is actually celebrated by several Asian nations. In honor of the holiday, different Asian organizations on campus have scheduled events for the next two weeks to bring a taste of the festivities to U of M students.
The Lunar New Year, which goes by a different name depending on the country, is celebrated in many more places besides China. Asian organizations on campus are bringing the celebration to the U of M for the next two weeks.
