John Brown University through the Council for International Friendship (CIF) celebrated the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, Feb. 6. This celebration, originally from China, commemorates the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year in the lunisolar calendar.

CIF team members planned, assembled and executed the festivities. Their goal was to introduce this celebration to students by having various food, activities and music that commemorate this annual festival. Students were sampled dumplings and mooncakes and were given the chance to learn calligraphy and lantern making. 

Students were lined up to taste the food and formed groups to make crafts with the materials provided. Overall, the activity went well and most of the student feedback was positive. The main points that students enjoyed about the activity were the location where it was held, and the Walker Student Center, as it allowed them to stop for at least a few minutes and enjoy the surroundings. Also, the coordination that CIF had had of great impact on the students’ opinion. They liked the inclusiveness of the event. 

Karol Becerra, a sophomore computer science student, enjoyed the celebration and said she is used to celebrating it at home.

“I really liked this activity because in my country, Panama, there is a very important population of Chinese and Chinese descendants, so in my country, they always celebrate the Chinese New Year, and it is something that is part of my culture. I found this event very nice and inclusive, as well as very familiar.”  

It is certain that the CIF team did a good job during the event, according to junior Lila Lemus.

“CIF did a good job at the Lunar New Year Celebration. They brought tasty food for people to try for the first time. The line was so long. People did seem very excited to try new things. It was a good interactive experience.” 

Photo courtesy of Jose Conejo