USD hosts first Asian Lunar New Year

Countries across the world celebrated the Asian Lunar New Year from Feb. 7 to Feb. 13, and for the first time, USD did as well.

Students celebrated the first ever USD Lunar New Year in the Muenster University Center Friday night.

Guests were welcomed by Lena Tran, USD’s Intercultural Program Coordinator, and Lamont Sellers, the Center for Diversity and Community director.

“We exist to address the diversity and inclusive needs of the students of the University of South Dakota, and it’s events like this and others that allow us to be able to help our community come together, not only to celebrate, but to educate,” Sellers said. “We celebrate this very important holiday in their calendar and we want to learn a little bit more about it as we celebrate with them.”

The night began with traditional Asian food that was served family style at each table, while guest speaker Vince Dahn, who studied in Asia for six months with the U.S. State Department, shared what Lunar New Year is like in Asian countries.

Danh said Asians take 15 days off for the Lunar New Year to gather with family from near and far. He then went into detail on what happens on each day of the celebration.

Attendants then began to eat while they were entertained by different performances. The Sioux Falls lion dance group performed first and was followed by two T’ai Chi performers.

After the first two performances there was a break to give out raffle prizes and finish eating.

The raffle was followed by a fan dance by the girls on the Asian American Student Association board and a fashion show of traditional Asian Lunar New Year clothing.

Tran says this celebration won’t be the last of its kind at USD.

“We are really breaking barriers by having the first annual Asian Lunar New Year and I’m so proud, as the advisor for the Asian American Student Association, that they are able to put on an event with the leaders being freshman and sophomores,” Tran said. “We have a great attendance and great entertainment and food and I am really proud of everybody who was a part of this celebration. This event is the future of celebrating Asian American culture in South Dakota.”

This year marks the year of the Monkey, which is considered to be a year of bad luck. Traditional celebrations for the New Year include setting off fireworks and firecrackers, offering sacrifices to ancestors, visiting relatives, watching lion and dragon dances and lighting lanterns.