Fireworks light up the start of an optimistic time full of big changes as the Year of the Tiger begins.
The first new moon of the lunar calendar will appear on Tuesday, Feb. 1st, marking the beginning of 2022. The festivities of the new year differ across cultures and student cultural organizations on campus.
For Vietnamese people and some Chinese people, the Lunar New Year is called Tết Nguyên Đán, or Tết.
“It’s an excuse to get together with family, eat food, and particularly in Vietnamese culture, pray to our ancestors,” said Andersen Le, a member of the Vietnamese Student Association. “We often set up offerings and shrines. It’s extremely important to Vietnamese culture.”
The first phase of the holidays is called Tất Niên and begins the day before New Year’s Eve, which leads into the second phase known as Giao Thừa. The final phase is known as Tân Niên, which translates to “New Year.”
“For children, we have red envelopes with ‘lucky money’ in them,” Le said. “Oftentimes, elders will give children [these] envelopes. It’s something that every kid looks forward to.”
The VSA will host several events to celebrate the Lunar New Year, including a Red Envelope Fundraiser, where students can send and receive lucky money, and a Tết festival, which will have food and activities to celebrate the holiday.
Megan Zhang is the social chair of the Chinese American Student Association. She said they want the Lunar New Year to feel a bit homier. “We’re going to be hosting a few events for our Tiger Fam, Phoenix Fam, and Dragon Fam,” she said.
CASA is divided into the three families for better interactions between members. “It’s mainly to spend time around each other and let them [CASA members] feel they have a home away from home at USC in CASA,” Zhang said.
The members hope to help Chinese Americans appreciate their traditions and culture with their Lunar New Year celebrations.
“Dumplings are pretty classic as the traditional food and noodles signify long health or longevity,” Zhang said. “We’ve also made green scallion pancakes because we have childhood memories associated with that.”
Just like with Chinese and Vietnamese Lunar New Year traditions, Korean children look forward to the Lunar New Year because they receive money in an envelope or an embroidered pouch from elders when they show their respect.
In Korea, Lunar New Year is called Seollal (설날) and it is celebrated for three days, including the days before and after Feb. 1st. Families reunite with each other for a fresh start to the year.
“Lunar New Year is a time to decompress from life’s grind and connect with friends and family,” Jihu Lee, a member of the Korean American Student Association, said. “For me, I like that I get to be in touch with my roots and heritage, whether it be through Korean traditional food or simply spending time with my family.”
Families wear hanbok (한복), traditional attire and perform sebae (세배), a bow on the ground as a sign of deep respect to older family members. The main dish for the occasion is tteokguk (떡국), also known as rice cake soup, which is usually topped off with meat, seaweed, and eggs. It is customary to gain a year for each bowl of tteokguk, and the white rice cakes represent purity.
Ethnically Chinese Malaysians celebrate Pai Thnee Kong and Thnee Kong Sei on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year. These festivities include offerings of flowers, fruit and other gifts from the Malaysian people to the Jade Emperor.
“The new year means that you are going to have good food.” said Ging Chen Sow, a sophomore from Malaysia, whose grandmother helps make sure this is true for his family. He added, “We’d always have hot pot and my cousin who’s a professional chef would make us pizza.”
He is currently making a documentary on how internationals celebrate the Chinese New Year. “Hopefully it’ll come out in one piece,” he said.
The Tiger is the third Chinese zodiac sign, symbolizing strength and braveness. This year, the Tiger promises great change and after a lengthy battle against a pandemic, it embodies hope for the people.
Correction: A previous version of this article used the acronym “APIDA.” All instances of the term have been changed to “APISA,” which is more reflective of the heterogeneity in South Asian communities.