On Friday, Jan. 24, Pancheng Wang and other parents hosted a Lunar New Year celebration on the great lawn. Recognized by many cultures around the globe, this holiday marks the new year according to the Lunar calendar.
“Chinese New Year is the best celebration all year round for Chinese people because of the various dishes and traditional practices taking place all in the short span of a week,” junior Jerry Jin wrote to the Talon. “It is symbolically important because of the family reunion characteristics, too, where hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens flood the trams home.”
Staff and volunteers set up engaging activities for students to get involved in Lunar New Year traditions. These activities included passing out red envelopes, handing out homemade traditional Chinese food samples made by hosts and different craft projects.
Food like dumplings resemble chunks of gold that ancient Chinese civilizations used to use as payment methods. Indulging in this delicious food is thought to bring good luck and fortune into their lives.
To conclude the festivities, students came together to perform the traditional lion dance around the great lawn. The lion dance originated from the myth of “年,” which was a common children’s tale discussing the abolishment of a monster who was afraid of all of today’s modern celebrations for Lunar New Year. Jin was chosen to be the head of the lion and commented on the efforts he made.
“It was challenging and very physically exerting despite seemingly effortless from afar,” Jin wrote.
This year’s Lunar New Year celebration at Oak Park High School was a success. Honoring diverse cultural traditions is important to building an inclusive and accepting community at OPHS.
