For many across the world, February 10 marks a new year.
Lunar New Year is celebrated across Asia, with the Chinese New Year Festival dating back thousands of years. Following the lunar calendar, each new year is represented by one of twelve rotating animals; for those born in 2024, the dragon will be their personal zodiac. Known as the Spring Festival, which is traditionally a fifteen-day celebration, different Asian American communities honor it in various ways, and at USC, students have created their own means to ring in the new year.
Senior Wilson Lim Setiawan is an international student from Singapore,back home, the holiday is packed with family, special greetings and traditional goodies. Only one of those remained for his Lunar New Year celebration at USC.
“Planning with some other international friends to have, like, a reunion dinner type of thing,” is what Setiawan typically plans, but he doesn’t quite consider it the same as a “celebration celebration.”
“It’s a very family based activity, so recognizing that, obviously, my family’s not here, but with friends that also are maybe missing that family experience or whatever, to just come together, get dinner, and [we] still can have a good time,” Setiawan said.
In Singapore and several other Asian countries, the most common and traditional gift for the holiday is a pair of oranges. The pair of oranges is a way to wish someone luck, prosperity and longevity in the new year. In China and Hong Kong, it is common to give gifts in red envelopes filled with money, traditional foods, gold accessories, fruits and sweets.
For some though, home isn’t so far away.
Chrystal Nhan, a senior from Monterey Park, is about 20 minutes away from the same celebrations she grew up with. For her, Lunar New Year means going back to traditional dinners of fish and crab and hopping between the abundance of temples in the 626 area, all with the warm company of her family.
“I really just love seeing my family. Especially, extended family…that I don’t really see that often,” Nhan said. “I also really enjoy going to temples, I’m Buddhist and it’s just nice getting to share that culture with everybody else that’s there.”
Meanwhile, new students on campus are relying on student services such as the U.S.-China Institute at USC to determine their plans for the new year.
USC Annenberg Career Development, International Programs and U.S.-China Institute hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at Wallis Annenberg Hall this Friday. Faculty, staff and students came together to cherish the new beginning with dumplings, Asian snacks and a lottery.
Vicki Higgins, the Program Manager at the U.S.-China Institute said the event was expected to have about 200 attendees. Soon after a successful mid-autumn festival last year, the preparations for a new year had begun with grand plans.
The celebration marks sharing love and good wishes, and spending time with close friends and family. Higgins says, “A lot of the students are without their family right now. So, I hope they can find some loved ones and maybe make a friend today.”
Higgins, excited about creating a memorable experience for the attendees said, “the people who have never experienced lunar new year get a chance to do it.”
Signifying a fresh start in the second month of the calendar year, this time brings about a much needed opportunity for many people. “New beginnings. New year, new you… it’s never too late to make a change,” exclaims Higgins.