Lunar New Year is one of the most significant holidays in many Asian societies, as it marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. This year, the holiday was celebrated on February 12th, when families usually gather to spend time together, wear red, and watch the fireworks. This year, the Chinese Language Program, Cantonese Language Program, and Korean Language Program collaborated to hold a Lunar New Year celebration. Through this cross-cultural celebration, students from all backgrounds were able to see different Lunar New Year traditions from cultures all over Asia, coming together to celebrate their wishes for the new year.
This year, the Chinese and Cantonese Language Programs held a photo challenge titled “One Wish, One Dish”. Students who chose “One Wish” were encouraged to write a Chinese character on diamond-shaped red paper, whereas students who chose “One Dish” were encouraged to share a food dish significant to their own culture. Both chosen characters or food dishes symbolized their best wishes for the new year. The Korean Language Program held their “One Wish” event, where students were encouraged to write a Korean word that represented their wishes for the new year, posted over a Sam-Taegeuk, a tricolor symbol that represents heaven, earth, and humanity.
Over 200 submissions poured in, received from students of all backgrounds and language-learning levels. Not only did this event invite students to have fun in sharing the unique ways their respective cultures celebrate Lunar New Year, but it also fostered a sense of community and intercultural understanding in our online space. The sentimentality, creativity, and diversity shown in these submissions was impressive! Students showed thought and care when describing the stories behind their chosen characters or dishes.
From the Cantonese Language Program, CNTO 311 student Causan Lo (羅秋宸) chose the word “福”, handwritten on red paper. This word can mean happiness, good fortune, or good luck; Causan hopes that writing this word will be able to bring fulfillment in the new year, whether it is about graduation, finding new friends, or the health of surrounding friends and family.
(One wish: 羅秋宸, CNTO 311 student)
The Korean Language Program asked students for words that represented their wishes going forward for the new year. Lecturer Eurie Shin was touched to read the thoughtfulness behind their submissions:
“Many students chose family (가족) and health (건강) not surprisingly, and gratitude (감사) was one of the most frequently chosen words. It was touching to read how students are grateful for their family, friends, community, front-line workers, and everything around them, and how they are taking the unprecedented challenges positively. All of their wishes and messages were full of hope and optimism, and I really wish they all come true.”
Two students taking KORN 102 discuss the impact family had on their past year, as well as the year to come. Johnson Lee chose the word 가족, or family, to represent all the times he was able to gather with his family to eat dinner, even after long days of studying. Yasmina Seifeddine, a Lebanese student taking KORN 102, chose to represent her year with the word 할아버지, or grandfather, hoping that she will be able to return to Lebanon to see her grandfather in the new year. Her caption reminisces on her usual summer trips back to Lebanon, halted last summer due to Covid-19.
KORN 302 student Eliya Vaizman talks about her Jewish background with the word 꿀, or honey, a food that is not only representative of Jewish New Year traditions that she celebrates with her family, but something that carries significant properties in her belief. Representing healing, wealth, and the work carried out by diligence and productivity, she hopes that honey will be able to bring these characteristics not just to her, but to the world in the new year.
From the Chinese Language Program, submissions were received from heritage, non-heritage, and literature students alike. The diversity within the program alone can be seen through the variety of submissions: students were able to learn about different Southeast Asian and East Asian Lunar New Year traditions from each others’ food dishes, and hear about the creative ways overseas students celebrated with their family back home.
Two non-heritage students, one from Indonesia and one from Singapore and Malaysia, shared different perspectives on a food dish called Yusheng, demonstrating the diverse variations each Lunar New Year tradition can have, ranging from family to hometown to country.
Aurelia, a non-heritage student, describes the prosperous meaning behind one of the dishes she likes to eat with her family — Yusheng, also known as Prosperity Toss. Aurelia, as an Indonesian of Chinese descent, celebrates Lunar New Year with her family in respect to their ancestors. To her, this special dish “symbolizes togetherness, prosperity and abundance” which is served with “Chinese sayings and wishes”. And there is no better way to demonstrate togetherness than the many hands reaching for the delicious, colourful Yusheng! Through the challenge, Aurelia was able to share some of her tips on how to bring prosperity to the new year, while exploring the cultural significance behind her family’s recipe.
One non-heritage student, currently taking CHIN 333, also shares an interesting story behind the dish Yusheng that she eats during the Lunar New Year. She wanted to participate in this challenge to “share a Chinese New Year custom that is unique to Singapore [and] Malaysia”, her countries of origin. When asked about the significance behind Lunar New Year for her, she described it as a special time to spend with family and enjoy Yusheng together. This student, along with many others, used the challenge as a way to showcase unique traditions that different East Asian cultures have when celebrating the holiday.
Tim, a 4th-year heritage student majoring in International Relations, decided to participate in “One Wish, One Dish” because he thought it would be a “fun and creative way to celebrate Lunar New Year”. He based his submission on the humble and hard-working ox as an analogy to the perseverance we need to get through the pandemic. Like many others, Tim could not celebrate the holiday the same way as in previous years, so he took to video chatting with his family in China. While drawing the character, Tim gained a deeper understanding of the significance behind Chinese zodiac animals and the hope they bring for the new year.
Kate Guo, a 1st-year student taking Modern Chinese Literature, explores the meaning behind a lucky Chinese character while wishing everyone a better future for 2021. Kate decided to participate in this challenge for altruistic reasons, as she wanted to spread hope for the new year that people can “live in a healthy and peaceful environment”. This year, she celebrated the holiday by decorating her home, shopping with her family, and watching the Spring Festival Gala (春晚). Through this photo challenge, Kate shared her compassion for the suffering communities have faced and her optimistic view for everyone’s health in the new year.
Sylvia Zhu, a 2nd-year commerce student taking Later Classical Chinese Poetry, shares the sentimental aspects of eating hotpot, from the placement of the round pot representing reunion, to the burning fire indicating flourishing life. To add, she said that hotpot is a special dish eaten “as a celebration at the end of a year”. Similarly, Kimberley Huang, a 5th-year marketing student taking Early Classical Chinese Poetry, speaks about her experience eating hot pot as a student coming from Sichuan. In Sichuan culture, spicy has significant meaning in food, as it touches on a wide range of senses, including smell and taste. Despite celebrating Lunar New Year apart from her family this year, Kimberley’s and Sylvia’s chosen dish is representative of the sense of gathering that Lunar New Year brings.
Kiko Gan, a 3rd-year history major, had a heartwarming message behind the adorable glutinous rice balls she made with her family. When asked about why she decided to take part in the challenge, Kiko described herself as a foodie who “couldn’t miss such an opportunity to share one of my favorite dishes—Tangyuan”. Besides the rice balls being a symbol of a family reunion, Kiko also enjoys the Lunar New Year because “it is time for me to eat all I want without guilt”. She used this opportunity to share her love of food and spread happiness to those around her.
Through this year’s Lunar New Year festivities, students were able to showcase their creativity and learning outside of class. Needless to say, the outstanding submissions speak for themselves when it comes to the deepening of intercultural awareness demonstrated by students! The uniqueness of every submission only highlighted the diverse cultural community at UBC . Students were not only able to share customs, traditions, and food dishes unique to their cultures, but came together to share their hardships from the past year, and their wishes for the year to come. The sense of community through this photo challenge has never been stronger. We wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year, and hope everyone is able to stay safe and healthy in the new year!
To view all student submissions from the Chinese Language Program, please check out our Instagram page (@ubcchinese). To view submissions from the Cantonese Language Program, please check out their Instagram page (@ubccantonese).
Written by: Ashley Zhu