As Americans prepare for Valentine’s Day, our friends on the other side of the world celebrate another special occasion.
Guò nián (gwo nyen) or, “Chinese New Year” is the celebratory day for the beginning of a new year in the Chinese calendar, which occurs in the first week of February according to the Gregorian calendar.
Chinese New Year is celebrated with lots of food, games, music and picking of the Hóng Bāo or red envelope with a lucky coin. The International Student Club enjoyed all of the above and more during their February 7 celebration of the Chinese New Year.
The club decorated the Canyon Café with twelve red and yellow posters showing the twelve animals in the Chinese calendar with explanations of their significance.
About 100 red lucky envelopes hung from “Lucky Trees.” What participants did not know was that one of the envelopes was truly lucky – it had money!
The club served Chinese food, naturally. Although some struggled with their chopstick and turned to forks, some students like Freshman Theatre major Maria Anderson did not.
“I’m a ninja with chopsticks,” says Anderson.
After dinner, a traditional Asian game was set up where people danced between long, bamboo poles which were moved in a rhythmic pattern by their human operators.
When the game was over, participants were in for another surprise – a crash course in Kung Fu-style street fighting and some Karate demonstration by Al Neal, and some of Phreddie Minnifield’s Karate students, including freshmen Eric James, Jamie Mones, and Rene Small.
In the end of the event, many students such as freshman Christian studies major Bryce Glaser and senior nursing major Rachel Shin agreed that the event was very good, and the martial arts portion even better, but a particular Facebook message sums the evening well.
“I can’t believe I can have so much fun staying at GCU on a Friday night!”
Jamie Mones is an international student from the islands of the Philippines and the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia. Writing is one of her numerous passions. Contact Jamie at [email protected].
