Art by Cara Tang
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The month of February celebrates many cultures and populations.
Around mid-January to mid-February each year, Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is celebrated across the world. The holiday is a centuries-old beloved tradition where Chinese families celebrate the end of the lunar calendar, according to Timothy S. L. Lam Museum of Anthropology.
Lunar New Year festivities often begin on Chinese New Year’s Eve — this year being Feb. 16 — and the celebration extends for up to 16 days. The celebration culminates with the Lunar Festival.
Many traditional activities come with ringing in the Lunar New Year, such as a New Year’s Eve dinner, fireworks at midnight and custom house decorations.
Traditional foods for the shared meal can include dumplings, New Year Cake and Tang Yuan, a small boiled ball made from rice flour, according to Timothy S. L. Lam Museum of Anthropology.
Lunar New Year provides a chance for the Chinese community and beyond to celebrate their culture with the people around them. This celebration can bring a sense of familiarity and home for students who treasure this time of year.
Nonetheless, there is a notable difference in the awareness this holiday is receiving at Pepperdine this year. In 2023, the Chinese Students & Scholars Association hosted a Lunar New Year celebration and in 2024, both the Mandarin Christian Student Ministry and Taiwanese Student Association held celebrations.
Pepperdine lacks a university-wide Asian American Pacific Islander Association, and there are seldom enough clubs that highlight Chinese culture. Further, Pepperdine possesses a greater lack of cultural celebration so far this year, as they have not made any posts or sent out any communication about Lunar New Year.
As such, events like Lunar New Year are not represented in our community during February. Whether for the purpose of celebrating their own culture or wanting to gain a better understanding of others’ cultures, students at Pepperdine do not have access to these opportunities.
At San Jose State University (SJSU), community members were invited to a wide array of events starting Feb. 9, including a wish tree, celebratory meals and Lunar New Year Lion Dance, according to the SJSU Mosaic Instagram.
In order to partake in this beloved tradition, Pepperdine students can gather together and share a meal with their friends or seek educational resources, such as on the China Institute of America’s website, to honor Lunar New Year.
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