With the Lunar New Year now upon us, Chapman’s newest culture club, the Chinese American Students Association, HUA, will host its first-ever festival on campus to ring in the new year on Feb. 16.

The festival, which will take place on Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Argyros Forum (AF) 119A, will commemorate the Year of the Dragon and give students who observe the holiday a place to meet others and celebrate the Chinese and Asian-American cultures.

Banh continued: “So far, no other club at Chapman has done an event like this, so we were hoping it would be a good way to get our club out there and interact with more of the campus community.”

At the Lunar New Year festival, Chapman HUA will be providing food from Panda Express and selling boba from Bako Tea House. For students who attend, the event will include activities and games for them to participate in, including bracelet-making. 

According to Chapman HUA, they encourage attendees to wear red, gold or something dragon-themed to the festival. Adhering to the dress code will allow students to receive priority in line for food and activities.

During the Lunar New Year, red is most commonly worn by people who celebrate the holiday as it symbolizes prosperity, good health and can ward off evil spirits. 

“Offering activities like these at the event will allow students to socialize and have fun with their friends,” said Banh, a sophomore business administration major “But, at the same time, they’ll also get to learn more about the history of the holiday.”

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities. This year, the holiday began on Feb. 10, with public festivities lasting for the next 16 days. 

“Back in the Philippines, I studied in a Chinese school, and there were a lot of different traditions that we did and we would all get together to eat food,” said sophomore data science major Diego Fondevilla. “There are some foods that are considered really lucky for the new year like dumplings, so the more dumplings you eat, the more money you’ll make that year.”

At typical Lunar New Year celebrations, people ring in the new year by worshipping ancestors, exorcising evil spirits and praying for a good harvest. A few activities at these events include Chinese lion dancing, dragon dancing, temple fairs, eating traditional Chinese food, flower market shopping and more. Normally, children are also given red envelopes filled with cash at the start of the Lunar New Year as a sign of affection from loved ones.

Chapman HUA’s festival will be the first Lunar New Year event to take place at Chapman this year.

“It’s definitely not as big of a thing here compared to how it was (in the Philippines) and there’s not a main big celebration that happens here on campus for Lunar New Year either,” said Fondevilla, who will be tabling at the event on Friday alongside Chapman’s Asian Pacific Student Association. “But that’s why I’m looking forward to this year because of HUA’s Lunar New Year celebration, and I think that it will be a nice addition for the whole school.”

According to Chapman HUA, hosting a Lunar New Year festival on campus will give them the opportunity — along with other students who celebrate — to showcase appreciation for their Asian culture and heritage. The event will also mirror other Lunar New Year events happening around the country, with an emphasis on informing the general public about the importance and value of the holiday.

Many celebrations for the Lunar New Year are also taking place in Orange County over the next few weeks. A few of these include the Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure Park as well as various celebrations at Orange County Public Library branches, which go until Feb. 18 and Feb. 24, respectively. 

Two other events taking place in Orange County include MainPlace Mall’s Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 17 from noon to 3 p.m. and the Pacific Symphony’s annual Lantern Festival on March 2 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are sold out for the Lantern Festival, but there will be a standby line available for attendees on the day of.

“I’m excited that this will be another event that’s able to bring the whole campus and people from different cultures together to celebrate this one really important holiday for Chinese culture,” Fondevilla told The Panther. “It’s also a nice way for the Chinese club to be able to showcase to the Chapman community what makes their culture so unique.”

To learn more about their Lunar New Year event, Chapman HUA can be contacted via email at hua.chapuni@gmail.com or through their Instagram account.