The International Student Organization kicked off the Year of the Snake by celebrating the Lunar New Year on Jan. 29.
The celebration began with the opening of red envelopes, a tradition common in Chinese culture at the start of the Lunar New Year. The event featured board games, karaoke and food from China One Buffet in Big Rapids.
Red envelopes are typically exchanged with friends and family and contain money. They represent community, prosperity and good luck in the coming year.
Ferris students opened red envelopes with paper cards with special notes and a list of lucky days based on each person’s Chinese Zodiac animal.
Digital animation and design junior and ISO President Nhi Tran reflected on popular Lunar New Year traditions, such as opening red envelopes with money inside.
“So lucky money, we don’t just give money because we want to give money to the others. It’s a sign of wishing other people to have luck and wealth,” Tran said.
The Lunar New Year follows the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Each year is represented by one of the 12 animals that make up the Chinese Zodiac.
Each animal is believed to influence the traits of people born during that year. The animals in the zodiac are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Many people believe their animal plays a significant role in their lives, while others view it as simply a fun tradition.
Immigration and Student Service Coordinator Yue Moua shared his Chinese Zodiac animal and its meaning to him.
“Mine is a rat. According to the Zodiac, the rat finishes the race first. I hope that’s true,” Moua said.
The rat is also considered a symbol of wealth, intelligence and adaptability.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries and is filled with various traditions. Some of these include eating special foods, cleaning, honoring ancestors and playing traditional games.
In her home country of Vietnam, Tran and her family have always celebrated Lunar New Year.
“We have a special theme for each day,” Tran said. “Usually on the first day we will clean the house and organize it so it looks nicer and is prepared for the new year. We also go and visit our family all over the city, like grandparents and aunties. One day in the week, we will go to the cemetery to pray for the dead and visit them.”
The celebration of the Lunar New Year was particularly meaningful for many Ferris students, especially those who couldn’t return home to celebrate with family and friends.
Biotechnology junior and ISO Committee Chair Prasanna Maharjan helped organize the event.
“I know students usually go back home to celebrate, but due to classes and everything, it’s kind of hard for them to go back all the way because not a lot of people live in Big Rapids,” Maharjan said. “This space gives them a chance to celebrate with new people and friends and make new memories.”
Many students in attendance participated in karaoke, some for the first time. One of those students was Claire Sa, a foreign exchange student from Kookmin University in South Korea. Sa shared her experience at the event.
“My favorite part was karaoke because this is the first time I sang in front of people I didn’t know,” Sa said. “I usually do karaoke with my friend, but this time there were many people I just met for the first time. At first, I was shy, but after singing, I was really excited and it was so fun.”
The Lunar New Year celebration brought students together to mark the start of the new year. The event helped reconnect old friends and encouraged students to make new ones.
“It’s really special just bringing people together, especially very different people,” Moua said.
In the future, the International Student Organization hopes to host an even larger event to celebrate the Lunar New Year and include more students in the festivities.