On Friday January 21, we held our biggest on-campus event of the year, featuring traditional games from various Asian countries, a talent show, raffle prizes, and plenty of cultural snacks, including everyone’s favorite—Boba Tea.

The talent show showcased a variety of performances, including singing, traditional dances, and instrumental pieces. Before the show, attendees participated in various activities and games, such as Chinese calligraphy, paper cutting, jegichagi, and Bầu Cua Cá Cọp. During the show, raffle prizes were drawn for the lucky winners. This year, we prepared traditional red envelopes with real money and wishes from teachers, as well as specially selected gifts to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Snake.

 

 

On Saturday, with help from the Dining Hall team, we hosted a dumpling-making workshop where students made their own dumplings together. We also arranged a trip to MOSU for students to enjoy Korean barbecue and Chinese hotpot. To light up the cold weekend night, we ended the celebration with a fireworks display on campus.

 

 

Let’s see what our students have to say about this year’s celebration:

Kayley Y. ’25 ASU head

“Celebrating Lunar New Year both at home and at Emma are some of my best memories and this year was no exception. All of the ASU members and leaders have worked so hard to put everything together and it was even more rewarding this year seeing it all come to fruition. From the tasty boba, the beautiful performances, to the fun games, and above it all, seeing everyone enjoy themselves made this Lunar New Year all the more special. This is also the first year I participated in the dumpling workshops and I felt so at home learning the proper way to fold dumplings. Getting flour all over my clothes and burning my tongue on fresh-out-the-pan dumplings made the taste of my own (albeit poorly) folded dumplings all the more delicious. And even if it was below freezing, the sense of community kept me warmer than the firecrackers as we definitely scared away the monster “Nian”.  I am certain this was the best start to an amazing year of the snake!”

 

 

Isabella H. ’25  ASU head, Talent Show performer

“Lunar New Year is always a highlight of my winter. Although I’ve spent most years celebrating at home with my family, I feel that I’ve been able to expand my definition of “family” to the school community as I take part in each year’s at-school festivities. This year especially has brought me a deep appreciation for the effort each individual community member must put in to pull off this one whole celebration, from the ASU leadership team and members’ consistent hard work to the students and faculty who came to support us on Friday night. Despite this being my last Emma Lunar New Year celebration, it also brought plenty of firsts. I’m so grateful to have finally worked up the nerve to perform in the talent show and participated in Saturday’s dumpling workshop! Eating fresh, hot dumplings was a great way to start my afternoon. And adding on our annual MOSU trip and (very cold, but worth it) nighttime firecracker display, I can finally say that I’ve had the full Emma Willard Lunar New Year experience!”

 

 

Keemayaa J. '27 ASU head, Talent Show performer

“I always see the Lunar New Year Celebration as a huge highlight each year, bringing our school community together to spread the joy of the new year. The activities in the dining hall are always packed and filled with so many students, as they are also a great audience for the talent show and other activities. Celebrated across two days, the celebration captures the traditional essence and components of the celebration to make it feel as close to home as possible for many of the students, which is so special to watch. Their support, appreciation, and joy make us more and more eager to make it the best experience possible for the community each year! ”

 

 

Dena S. ’25 ASU Communication Director

“Celebrating Lunar New Year at Emma has become one of the events I most look forward to each year. The atmosphere is always lively, and everyone is excited to see what is in store for this year’s celebration. I love seeing people who don’t typically celebrate Lunar New Year join in on the festivities, embracing the culture and enjoying the event alongside everyone else. I had so much fun taking photos of everyone who attended the event and seeing how much joy and energy they brought. I also love how supportive the community is, whether it’s cheering for the talent show performers, congratulating those who win raffle prizes, or simply enjoying the festivities together.”

 

Coco Y. '25 Snake Mosaic facilitator and Talent Show performer 

“I really enjoy doing the head and the tail of the snake with Nini and letting Emma community members fill in its body. It’s great to be able to share the joy of celebration with everyone in this community whether they celebrate Lunar New Year or not! Seeing everyone have fun and enjoy being with each other is the best part of ASU’s celebration!”

 

Nini Y. '25 Snake Mosaic facilitator and Talent Show performer  

“I have been used to playing classical pieces on the flute so it was a very unique experience to share something that represents where I am from. Instead of making sure the notes were perfect, I focused on the overall style and the fun of the piece, recalling the familiar melody and sharing it with the community. Every performance of the talent show was amazing, and many of them reminded me of home!” 

 

 

Grace Z. '28 Dumpling Making Workshop volunteer with parents

“I would like to speak about the Dumpling workshop. It went amazing, the experience was wonderful and I felt like I was brought back home, just like how my family sat together and made lots of dumplings that no one could finish. Even though we had some challenges, such as  when we couldn’t find a lid or when we couldn’t seem to cook the dumplings through, I'm sure it’s only because this is the first dumpling workshop in the dining hall. Many friends of mine told me that the dumpling was really tasty and I was glad it was. I was thankful my parents were also here to help out and I’m sure we couldn’t have done it without them.”

We would like to thank everyone who joined us in welcoming the Year of the Snake and all who helped make this celebration a success. Wishing you all the best in the new year! 

written by Dena S.’25 and Ms. Hao.

See more photos from the events on SmugMug!