The Asian Student Association (ASA) hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum Feb. 1 to mark the first day of the lunar calendar.
In the Chinese lunar calendar, this is the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes renewal and good fortune. The celebration, attended by about 60 people, featured many activities, such as fan-painting and traditional Asian table games. Attendees were also able to buy raffle tickets to win a variety of prizes, including tote bags, stuffed animals, Legos and coloring kits.
For some members of the St. Joe’s community, the Lunar New Year is an integral part of their culture. Lisa Nguyen ’28, a first-year representative for the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) on the University City campus and ASA Hawk Hill publicist, said organizers hope the event will boost cultural awareness.
Nguyen said one of her main goals was to create a diverse space for people from all walks of life to come together.
“We’re trying to solidify a larger ground to connect both campuses,” Nguyen said. “Hosting a big event like this is absolutely amazing because I see so many unfamiliar people from UCity that I would never normally see on a regular basis.”
Nguyen’s family’s Lunar New Year celebrations usually consist of karaoke, Vietnamese games and traditional activities, like trading red envelopes as a symbol of prosperity and good luck.
“Regardless of what kind of Asian you are, [or] who you are as a person, anyone’s invited, and it’s to spread awareness of all cultures,” Nguyen said.
Zoe Hwang ’26, president of ASA, had similar sentiments regarding the importance of sharing cultural traditions.
“On a campus like this, it’s important that we emphasize and really be proud of our culture, and one way we do that is through celebrations like this,” said Hwang.
Meilyn Frank ’26, a recent transfer student who attended the event for the first time, said she wanted to attend because she is Asian and was hoping to get acclimated to her new school.
“[This event is] important so that we can all learn about each other’s differences to create a more educated world in society,” Frank said. “It’s also exciting, you get to learn more about things from different people and different cultures and different foods. And, I think that’s really exciting.”
Bringing people from different cultures together was important to Brian Peters ’27, another first-time attendee.
“Because not everyone here is white, it’s really nice to be able to celebrate other people’s cultures,” Peters said.
Jane Allen, education & community engagement coordinator for the Maguire Museum, said the museum has also collaborated with ASA for previous Lunar New Year events.
“At the museum, it’s a great place for us to celebrate all these events that really uplift diversity and the variety of experiences and identities here on campus, and support those too,” Allen said.
