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USD students welcome Year of the Tiger

USD’s Asian American Student Association (AASA) celebrated the Lunar New Year, the year of the tiger.

Emily Chov, the vice president of AASA, said the year of the tiger represents strength and resilience. Through events such as this one, students have the opportunity to learn more about different cultures.

“At USD, there should be events showing different cultures because it’s easier to show different cultures and traditions through fun events at USD. It’s a better way for people to learn and experience different things that they probably wouldn’t otherwise learn or experience,” Chov said.

The event had over 200 people attend with over 30 performers. Performances included several dances, including the Lion Dance. 

“I think it’s one of the events where we get to try Chinese food and see the different Asian cultures which makes it more fun,” Pooja Modawel, president of AASA, said. “And the Lion Dance is always super fun to see because it’s something different. You don’t get to see it. And that’s one of the good parts about the event.”

Performers came from Sioux Falls to dance and be a part of USD’s celebration of the Lunar New Year.

“I really want to say thank you to the people who came and performed especially the line dance people are gonna be honest people because they came all the way from Sioux Falls, but also like the people who attended as well from making the events work, and I’m really happy that it turned,” Chov said.

The Lunar New Year is a big celebration for people all around the world, Chov said. 

“The event is about celebrating the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated by East Asians and it’s celebrating the new year. There’s a lot of people doing it,” Chov said. 

The Chinese Zodiacs determine what animal the coming year represents. 

“The Zodiacs pretty much came from a story of animals going through a race and whoever finished it’s like the level of races like first, second, third and that’s the order of the animals. The year of the tiger has to do with strength,” Chov said.