Before Judy Lam came to UCLA, Chinese New Year meant a family reunion with traditional Chinese cooking where she would make paper lanterns while her mother woke up the neighborhood with firecrackers.
This year Lam, the cultural chair of the Association of Chinese Americans, began her celebration with an alternative rock band and ended it with a hip-hop show at the annual Lunar New Year Festival in Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
A blend of tradition and pop culture, the festival incorporated many of the traditions students would have enjoyed if they were at home with their families, but added elements to appeal to a younger, different and more diverse audience.
Sandwiched between the rock band and the hip-hop dancers was a performance of the Chinese Lion Dance, a commonly recognized staple in New Year parades.
“Some of the performances don’t really have that much to do with traditions, like hip hop and things like that, but it gives our personality to it. (Our relatives) might roll their eyes at that though,” Lam said.
Visitors were handed red envelopes filled with candy upon entry, reminiscent of the money-filled red envelopes traditionally given on the holiday by married couples to their unmarried relatives.
Because the holiday falls on Thursday this year, students like Lam who will not be able to spend it with their families celebrated together by doing crafts, playing Mah Jong, and eating dumplings.
“Chinese New Year is a pretty big thing in my family, and I can’t be home for it,” said Stephanie Hsia, a second-year bioengineering student who attended the festival.
Lam said she misses spending the holiday with her family, but they would be proud of her for helping to organize such a large-scale celebration meant to create an enriching experience for others.
“It’s a chance to let other students see what Chinese New Year is all about. You come here and you see all these festivities, and it’s fun and a great way to mingle and socialize and things like that,” Lam said.
Li Jin, the publicity chair for the Association of Chinese Americans, hoped being involved with planning the festival would help him get more in touch with his own heritage.
“I’ve been living here a long time, and I have no idea what’s going on with the Chinese side of my culture. I hope that this will help put me back with my roots,” Jin said.
Emily Chen, a second-year psychobiology student, said she did not feel so bad about being away from her family members, who will be eating and celebrating together on Thursday, because she could enjoy the festival with other students.
The result of three weeks of collaboration between five different student groups, the festival focused on the Chinese cultural aspects of a holiday that is recognized by many East Asian cultures as the beginning of the calendar year.
The holiday itself will fall on Feb. 7 this year, and will mark the beginning of the Year of the Rat in Chinese tradition.
The Year of the Rat is generally associated with order, charm, wealth and aggression.
This year marks the restarting of the cyclical zodiac calendar that associates each year with a different animal.