Stanford students share their favorite ways to celebrate Lunar New Year

Doing karaoke with friends — Grace Liang ’28

Karaoke isn’t exactly a traditional Lunar New Year (LNY) celebration, nor was it ever a fixture in my own household. However, I firmly believe that it qualifies as a proper LNY celebration. Karaoke rivals firecrackers — a central part of LNY celebrations — in volume and vibrance, and can be made into an art form that honors culture and heritage, much like the performances in local festivals and broadcast across TV networks. With a microphone in hand, there is always a chance to belt out a folk song or a tune in your mother tongue that has gone viral. Most importantly, for me, karaoke is a chance to bond with my community. Singing in a variety of languages including Mandarin (my family’s mother tongue) at our dorm’s LNY event, in sync with other residents, was the highlight of my weekend. I expect it to become the highlight of every Stanford LNY, partaking in my culture at a home away from home. 

Giving red envelopes — Iris Hwang ’27

We grew up very American, so LNY was never a big part of our family tradition. But last year, I was home alone and felt a pang of sadness at being so disconnected from family and tradition. So, I Zelle’d my younger brother $100 and told him to treat himself and his girlfriend to a whole fish. I did it again this year, because now, LNY is a rare moment when I get to play the part of a traditional Chinese elder sibling, honoring the Lunar New Year custom of gifting money for prosperity.  

Practicing Chinese dance with family — Emma Di ’28

In my hometown, there was a group of moms who did Chinese dance together and put on performances throughout the year. Every LNY, they’d also get the kids to dance, and since all our moms were in the group, we never really had a choice. We’d just be told what to wear, when to show up and what steps to memorize. Some dances I liked more than others (my favorite was the flag dance), but mostly we just went along with whatever the moms had planned. I remember one year it was the Year of the Sheep, and they dressed us up as lambs — fake horns and tails included — and put us on stage. It was kind of ridiculous at the time, but an oddly wholesome childhood memory now. Now, at Stanford, I’m excited to see how celebrations across campus bring those familiar childhood memories.

Appreciating heritage through art — Audrey Chang ’28 

On a gray, rainy day on Tuesday, the Bowes Art & Architecture Library brought a pop of color with vibrant LNY-related prints at their Year of the Horse Pop-Up. The exhibition included a selection of “New Year paintings,” scrolls, related books, drawings and other pieces from their Locked Stacks collection relating to Chinese history, the LNY holiday and all things horses. 

For someone like me, who didn’t grow up celebrating LNY, it turned out to be a surprisingly moving experience. Standing in front of these prints made me feel like I was finally getting a glimpse into a tradition that had always been a part of my history, even if I hadn’t fully discovered it yet. 

Librarian Katie Keller, who helped organize the collection, said she hopes visitors will be inspired to discover treasures in the library. It did exactly that for me — sparking not only curiosity about the library’s collection, but about my own heritage, too. 

Taiwanese dinner  — Colin Liu ’27

As a proud Taiwanese-American, I believe that Taiwan has some of the best food in the world. But thankfully, I don’t have to go across the world every time to experience it. At Stanford, we are lucky to have a number of authentic Taiwanese restaurants in the surrounding area, such as Joy Restaurant in Foster City, Red Hot Wok in Palo Alto (unfortunately now closed) and Liang’s Village in Cupertino. While the Taiwanese Cultural Society is typically in the midst of planning our signature event, Night Market, around this time of year, we always set aside an evening to host a LNY celebration at one of these great local restaurants.

Attending the On Call x ASSU LNY event — Audrey Chang ’28 

To celebrate the New Year, On Call Café and the Asian American Students’ Association (AASA) organized an event at On Call Tuesday night where students were invited to bring a red envelope to receive a free drink. There was a long line, and upon arriving, my friends and I were offered candy and red envelopes with gold chocolate coins as we waited.   

Being surrounded by friends — Kyle Chan ’28

Family is a really big part of LNY. Growing up in New York, we’d always have a big feast on LNY’s Eve, and in the morning, I’d learn auspicious phrases to say to my parents, who’d give me red envelopes in return. At Stanford, I love celebrating LNY by being surrounded by friends who are like family now. As a staff member at On-Call and a Senator at ASSU, I wanted to foster that type of community with our LNY event, because we’re all here to celebrate for each other.

Performing lion dance — Ethan Fung ’27

I grew up in a very Asian American community that didn’t really value traditional culture. So, at Stanford, I joined Lion Dance in my freshman year, and I found a group of really great people here. For this year’s LNY, we performed for elementary schools, and that was a highlight for me because they’re always so excited to celebrate with us.

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