The Chinese New Year, an important part of traditional culture in China, will begin on Feb. 5 — but many Chinese UNC students will be spending it here in Chapel Hill.
UNC’s Chinese Undergraduate Students Association has a celebration planned for Saturday, Feb. 9 that will have performances, food and much more.
“We always have a traditional Chinese New Year’s festival,” senior Connie Chen, executive president of CUSA, said. “The last two years, we’ve been doing it banquet-style, but this year we’re doing something new. In addition to the banquet, we’re also having a festival the morning of."
There will first be a festival open to the public and then a traditional banquet. Chen said this year will consist of an all-day celebration.
Chen said the event is primarily led by students, and there will be acts such as singing and dancing. There will also be calligraphy booths and a photo booth.
“Everyone just gets together, we have really nice traditional decorations and then we cater from multiple restaurants,” Chen said. “It’s just a time for everyone to get together and celebrate.”
Robin Visser, a professor in the Department of Asian Studies at UNC, said Chinese New Year is a major celebration in China. She said there is no ban on fireworks, so every area has displays.
"It’s almost deafening," Visser said. "It’s a big deal, and a big public celebration in that sense, but then there’s also a personal family component to it.”
Some students from China will not be home with their families to celebrate the new year. Angela Wang, a first-year international student from China, said she will go to the spring festival events held by the Chinese Student Fellowship this year, though she usually spends the holiday with her family.
