Lunar New Year Traditions Bring Together St. Mike’s Community

Lunar New Year Traditions Bring Together St. Mike’s Community

St. Mike’s Lunar New Year celebrations gave students a taste of home. The festivities were organized by St. Mike’s Student Union’s International Outreach Committee and the Office of Campus Ministry and held in the COOP on January 30.

Making dumplings at St. Mike's Lunar New Year celebrations

The event brought together those whose traditions include those marking the Lunar New Year while introducing those less familiar with the occasion to the rich cultural celebrations. The experienced and less experienced alike were invited to try Chinese Mongolian calligraphy; Chinese paper cutting; dumpling making; and Jianzi, a traditional Chinese sport similar to hacky sack but instead of a ball uses a weighted shuttlecock.

Writing calligraphy at Lunar New Year celebrations

“Today’s been really nice because I feel like it’s a networking event where you can get to know people from similar cultures,” says Vanecia Lai, a first-year humanities student. She practiced her calligraphy by writing academics, hoping it would bring her fortune in this area in the coming year, while Emrys Chang, a first-year humanities student, wrote puns related to the year of the snake.

Making dumplings at Lunar New Year celebrations

“I’m still getting used to life in Canada and today made me feel like I’m back home,” says Sherry Yang, a first-year humanities student who’s celebrating in Canada for the first time. She enjoyed making dumplings because it reminded her of being with family when they would make dumplings together to eat at family reunions.

Chatting over making dumplings at Lunar New Year celebrations

For Valeria Velazquez, a first-year economics student, writing calligraphy took her back to her childhood when she and her grandfather, who was Chinese, would practice calligraphy in Mexico. “This reminds me of him in a really good way, but we stopped his traditions once he passed away,” she said. “It’s been nice to connect with other people that have similar backgrounds,” she says.

Calligraphy at Lunar New Year celebrations

Dia Bulgankhangai is a first-year international student from Mongolia and, as a member of the International Student Union, she helped plan the event. “I was surprised to find out that Mongolia wasn’t the only country that celebrated the Lunar New Year. It’s been very nice getting to know more about Chinese culture and seeing the differences between my culture and Chinese culture. We celebrate quite differently, but we still share some of the same traditions: we have a meal, we see our family and we play games,” she says.

Handing out red envelopes as part of the lunar new year celebrations

The festivities moved outdoors where participants received a red envelope to wish them good luck and prosperity in the new year and watched a traditional lion dance performed by dancers from the Wushu Project.

Group photo of the lunar new year celebrants

“U of T is a big school, and SMC is a big college too, so it’s very easy to feel left out, especially as an international student. I felt welcomed by the SMC community today,” says Dia.