During my first year living alone, I had to celebrate my birthday alone since I lived far away from my relatives. Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is another celebration that is a custom for my family and me to celebrate, but I had to celebrate it without them for the same reason. While the Lunar New Year has already passed by, I want to share how I as a Chinese American student, celebrate this holiday at Pitt!
- annual CASA x VSA Performances
-
It has been a custom for performances to be held during Lunar New Year. Every year at Pitt, two student-led organizations (the Chinese American Student Association and Vietnamese Student Association) host their annual Lunar New Year Celebration that showcases student-led performances followed by games and food. If you have the time, you can watch the performances and enjoy the games and food afterward. They always happen at the assembly room of William Pitt Union, but the date of the performance could vary depending on the days of the holiday.
- Cooking food
-
If you can, you can gather your friends to make food that you normally eat during Lunar New Year. For me, I usually like to eat dumplings. I remember last year, I bought dumplings from Chinese restaurants, but this year, I made dumplings with a friend! There is nothing more nostalgic than home-cooked meals, so cooking your favorite Lunar New Year dish with your friend is also a great way to celebrate. It is also fun to teach your friends how to make your favorite food if they don’t know!
- A night out with your friends
-
Another alternative for cooking food, if you feel like cooking takes too much effort, is eating out with your friends at a restaurant. There are plenty of Asian restaurants in Oakland that you and a couple of your friends can choose from! Besides restaurants, there are plenty of attractions at Pitt where you can gather with your friends to go and hang out, like the Carnegie Museums, Phipps Botanical Garden and more! Some people prefer to dress in their finest outfits during the Lunar New Year, whether it would be a traditional outfit or just something fancy.
These are just three possible ways to celebrate Lunar New Year. There could be more, and there is no specific definition of celebrating a holiday. As long as you celebrate safely, Lunar New Year is a great day to relax and hang out with your friends!