International Students Celebrate Lunar New Year

Jessica Choe, Editor

 

The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a lunisolar calendar year based on the Moon cycles. Celebrated across a wide range of East and Southeast Asian countries, the Lunar New Year is also referred to as Chunjie, Solnal, Tết, Losar, and the Spring Festival. On its eve, more than fifty students of Asian background traveled to Allston to celebrate the traditional holiday. Hosted by the International Student Alliance (led by Judy Wang ‘23 and Jana Choe ‘23), the outing gave students an opportunity to enjoy their lunch either at the hot pot restaurant Shabu-Zen or a Korean barbeque place, Korean Garden. Whether by sharing a common barbecue grill or a communal hot pot steaming with mala, herb, and chicken broth, the dining experience prompted students to connect with each other over the celebrated meal, recreating the intimate atmosphere of tight gatherings of family and friends back in students’ home countries.