From attending Lion Dance performances to playing Mahjong, communities across the 5Cs came together to celebrate the Lunar New Year last week.
Festivities this year included a range of different activities, including a celebration at the Oldenborg Center, Mahjong night with the Claremont Cantonese Club and a lion dance performance from The Los Angeles Kun Seng Keng Dragon and Lion Dance.
Lunar New Year — which fell on Jan. 29 this year — is also commonly known as Spring Festival or Chinese New Year and marks the start of the new year on the lunisolar calendar. During this time, families all over the world gather together to bless each other with good fortune for the rest of the year.
Despite originating in China, the holiday is celebrated by many Asian countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and many more. Each year represents a different animal of the Chinese Zodiac based on Chinese mythology: As of Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Year of the Snake has begun.
Lunar New Year events at the 5Cs aim to foster community by creating spaces for students to celebrate the holiday away from home or for the first time.
On the eve of Lunar New Year, Chinese Language Resident Manxi Wang hosted an event at the International Theatre in Oldenborg Center where attendees cooked dumplings together and watched the Spring Festival Gala, a highly popular Lunar New Year television special. While only expecting some people to attend, Wang was pleasantly surprised when a large number of students showed up.
“At first I thought it would just be a small gathering,” Wang said. “But then, more students came … It made the whole room so lively; there were so many people and they’re all my friends. I was so happy.”
Celebrations continued on the day of Lunar New Year when Pitzer’s Pacifika Asian Student Union (PASU) collaborated with Campus Life, International Programs, Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS) staff and the workers at McConnell Dining Hall for a special dim sum lunch event.
“Lunar New Year events at the 5Cs aim to foster community by creating spaces for students to celebrate the holiday away from home or for the first time.”
“I would definitely say it was a lot. It was definitely busier than like anything I’ve ever seen at McConnell,” said PASU Treasurer Carolyn Lau PZ ’26 of the celebration.
That evening, PASU continued celebrating at CAPAS, giving out noodles, egg tarts and other treats.
Lunar New Year celebrations didn’t end there. On Friday evening, students at Collins Dining Hall were in for a treat when the Los Angeles Kun Seng Keng Dragon and Lion Dance (KSK) began a lion dance performance. A crowd gathered as the sounds of drums rang loud and the lions blessed everyone with good luck.
That same evening, the Claremont Cantonese Club met at Dialynas Lounge where they played Mahjong, watched Kung Fu Hustle and ate tangyuan. The club’s president Alistair Tan PZ ’25 noted how this event, along with past Mahjong nights the club had hosted, brought together both experienced players and students who were new to the game.
“A lot of the people who come to our events come to Mahjong events, including people who don’t know how to play or didn’t even grow up with that stuff. But then it’s really new for them,” Tan said.
Celebrations across the 5Cs brought together people of all backgrounds to enjoy the traditions and festivities, ringing in the Year of the Snake.
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