Photo by Iyana Reeves
Iyana Reeves
Staff Writer
In the western world when you think of a New Year you think of Jan. 1, but that is not the case for most Asian countries. Since their calendar aligns with the moon cycle, an Asian based New Year would not start until the first new moon.
Although Lunar New Year is more so celebrated in Asian countries, Jackson State University Global decided to bring the festivities to JSU.
On Feb. 9, Jackson State Global hosted a Lunar New Year party to help bring in the coming Dragon year for all students and staff providing food, fun and a show.
Hosted by Elsa Zang and Lee Zhang, the celebration started off with a warm welcome and a prayer to get the night going.
Even though the Lunar New Year is an Asian culture celebration, JSU Global wanted to also showcase global traditions and customs through a fashion show and performances.
With looks from many different countries including: Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, German, and Nigeria, each presenter came on stay in their unique wear and allowed the audience to gaze among each countries fashion before moving on to the first performance of the night.
The Lion Dance, which is a traditional dance performed for Lunar New Year to bring good luck and fortune, incorporates the mimic of a lion’s movement through a costume and dance number. This was a favorite among the children who all got up to follow and dance with the lion as it made its way around the room.
Throughout the night the attendees were able to see many more Asian inspired performances, including Chinese kung fu performed by the children, Kung fu Panda, Yang Gin by Alisa Wang, and a beautiful song performed by Guihua Wang in tribute to her homeland China.
The event included several interactive games such as the Chinese calligraphy where the audience learned how to write and spell out certain words in Chinese.
The Gong Xi Gong Xi (pronounced pong-pong) ball game where the audience passed around a decorated ball through the crowd and whoever hands it landed in is celebrated by wishing them happiness and prosperity while they sing two lines from any song they choose.
Even though it was a celebration for the Asian cultures, other cultures were highlighted as well, making the atmosphere inclusive. Other performances included: a hula dance by Marina Viernes Mychasiw and a Latin salsa performed by partners Renata Gil and Himanshu Dave.
There was even a wonderful traditional Indian Seme-Classical Dance performed by friends Betsy Vargheese and Saranya Dinesan.
Kokoe Akollor, a senior biology/pre-dentistry major shared why she attended the event.
“I read about the event through the JSU announcement email, so I wanted to check it out. I enjoyed exposing myself to their culture through their food, and entertainment. It was really fun,” said Akollar.
Zakiya Johnson, a senior meteorology major looked forward to experiencing the Asian culture.
“I took Mandarin in high school, so to be able to come here today and be reminded of the Asian culture was nice. It was a great event, beautifully organized and eye opening. Makes me look forward to traveling and seeing this celebration firsthand,” said Johnson.
Jing Chang, Ph.D., cultural programming and activities specialist for JSU Global explained the importance of the event.
“Lunar New Year is a very essential holiday for the Asian people. At JSU we have over 400 students from different countries, half of them being from Asia like China and Japan. We have many students that have come to be JSU Tigers, and we just wanted to have an opportunity to celebrate our dear holiday and let them know at JSU, this is your home,” said Chang.
