At the University of Kansas, students recorded this video to welcome the Chinese New Year (if you look carefully, you may see someone you recognize!):
Sebastian says it was his first Chinese New Year celebration, but the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at KU makes the festival one of the biggest campus events of the spring semester.
The celebration’s main event had musical performances and even two small plays, all in Chinese, but the emotive presentation and the universality of music made most of the message clear and entertaining. And not only that but they also had some dance and kung fu demonstrations, plus a couple of games with prizes for the attendees. And before the main event started people were welcomed to learn some of the Chinese culture with workshops that taught how to make origami and Chinese calligraphy.
He shared these photos from the event, adding:
Oh, and Xīnnián kuàilè!
Meanwhile, at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Chris reports:
Every year the East Asian Languages Department at my university hosts a Lunar New Year Party with lots of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean food. Almost all of the professors dress in traditional clothes, and some of them even bring their kids along. Students and faculty mingle and eat a good dinner, and there are a lot of both international and American students.
There aren’t any special performances or activities, so I suppose the event isn’t that traditional (I was told tonight that Japan doesn’t even celebrate the lunar new year?), but there are a lot of students at my university who are interested in East Asia, and I think the new year gives everyone a fun reason to come together and have a good time. And of course at the end of the party, everyone receives a hongbao red envelope with a treat inside for good luck.
Some photos from the celebration:
Of course, it's not just in the U.S. where the Chinese New Year is a big deal. VOA has been collecting photos from celebrations around the world in our "Chinese New Year Where I Am" project.
We asked you to share photos and stories of your Lunar New Year traditions in our Flickr group, and we received pictures from nearly every continent on earth - everywhere from the heart of Beijing itself to Australia, Mauritius, London, New York, and even Las Vegas. Sadly, no photos from Antarctica yet...if you know anyone in Antarctica, tell them to send pictures!
Click the image below to visit the Flickr map and explore how the holiday is celebrated all around the world. And don't be shy about joining the group to share your own photos and memories!
