The Asian Student Union (ASU) will celebrate the Lunar New Year this Thursday at 6 p.m. in General Classroom South, room 115.

The Lunar New Year officially began last Sunday, but the celebration is still going and ASU members wish to bring it to students. 

During the event, students will have the opportunity to learn about the Asian countries that celebrate the holiday, along with their traditions and greetings.

Emily Mejia, ASU’s public relations coordinator, shared that snacks and drinks will be available. 

They will also hand out red envelopes, called “Hong Bao” in Chinese and “Li Xi” in Vietnamese, along with mandarins, whose bright orange color symbolizes good health and fortune.

“The name of ‘mandarin’ sounds similar to gold in Chinese so when you hand it out [with the envelope] it means that you’re wishing them good luck and prosperity,” said Justine To, captain of Atlantic ZeNami (AZN), ASU’s dance team. 

AZN will be performing at the event with dancers wearing red for good luck. 

ASU has prepared several activities such as Yank me, Fortune cup and Lunar New Year bingo, where students may win prizes ranging from stickers to “lucky coins.”

The Tea Ceremony Club will also be demonstrating a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. 

For any students interested in volunteering to help set up the event, you can sign up and meet in the classroom at 5 p.m.

“For everyone who’s not familiar with the Lunar New Year or don’t celebrate it, it’s really good to come to this event so that we can try to understand and try to educate ourselves about the different cultures that Asia contains,” said Clara Pham, a member of AZN. 

After the event, ASU and AZN encourage students to hang out with them at Kung Fu Tea, a bubble tea shop, to socialize. They will also offer carpooling.

For questions regarding the event, you may contact ASU through their Instagram or Linktree. For interest in AZN, you can contact them here. 

Ma. Emilia Santander is the Managing Editor at the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, you can reach her on Instagram @emilias_ed or email her at [email protected].