Written by Michelle Makool
With the spring semester well on its way, most students have tucked away any thoughts of the holidays except for one group on campus who spent their Saturday bringing in the new year. The Chinese New Year that is.
Approximately 150 Chinese students and their friends met Feb. 5 in the Hammon Room to celebrate the new year at their annual Spring and Chinese New Year Festival hosted by the Harding University Chinese Student Association.
“I am from Costa Rica, and it is very important for us to celebrate the new year just as it is for the Chinese students,” Lucy Marchena said. “I guess that’s true for all the people around the world, but the difference between one region or another relies on the way people decide to celebrate.”
The event’s theme was “The Year of the Rabbit,” and all who attended were encouraged to dress in red. “The Year of the Rabbit” began on Feb. 3, 2011, and will end Jan. 22, 2012. The rabbit is the fourth sign out of 12 on theChinese Zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. There are many different theories about what each animal means for those who are born during a particular year.
“Normally, it is believed that the year of your animal [the year you were born] will not bring luck for you,” West Ling said. “Instead, it is considered one of the obstacles in your life. You may have big challenges or even disasters during this year. So, when the year of your animal comes, you ought to be extremely careful.”
According to Chinese Student Association President Qing “Mia” Ye, the festival’s main goal was for all who attended to be able to learn more about the Chinese culture and get the Chinese feeling of joy that they feel each year at the celebration.
“I wanted to treat all theattendees likeour relatives and enjoyNew Year together,” Ye said.
One of the main events was watching the “Spring Festival Gala Evening,” which is a New Years’ tradition for many of the Chinese dating back to 1983. The performance resembles the show performed by the international students atSpring Sing International 2010. While watching the show, traditional Chinese food was served including some that the students prepared and some that was catered by China Star. (See photo slideshow below.)
“The food was very authentic, but the chicken wings were really hot to eat,” David Yang said.
Ye explained that certain foods were ‘a must’ because they had special meaning for the coming year. The dumplings symbolized good luck, the fish showed that they have more than enough for the upcoming year and the chocolate candies shaped like money were given for wealth.
“Lots of people told me they had an amazing night, especially when they got the lucky moneybags fromthe god of wealth,” Ye said.
Other activities planned for the evening included playing video games and ping-pong. Chinese Student Life Administrator Milo Hadwin has won several ping-pong tournaments including the Arkansas Senior Olympics last year and challenged all who attended to try to defeat him in ping-pong.
“I haven’t found anyone at Harding who can beat me,” Hadwin said.”I just have fun putting pressure on myself by offering a steak dinner to anyone who can beat me.”
The Chinese Student Association was not able to bring in an actual ping-pong table so they were unable to have real competition or declare a winner. Still, some students played for fun while others spent the night playing the Wii and enjoying time with one another.
“I think the festival we had on Saturday was very successful,” Ling said. “We had a chance to celebrate the festival with the big family and also have fun together.”
For many of the Chinese students, celebrating the Chinese New Year is the closest thing they can get to being home with their families.
“Just like Christmas in the U.S., Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China,” Ling said. “Everyone will travel home before New Year’s Wve no matter how far away they are. Then the whole family will go out and visit relatives or friends during the first three days of the new year. It is so important because it means family reunion and a new start for life. That is why we try to have the celebration at Harding every year. We do not have a vacation to go home, so we celebrate it here with our big family at Harding.”
