The Year of the Rabbit rings in with Asian Club of Elmhursts’ Lunar New Year event

Asian Club of Elmhurst (ACE) hosted their annual Lunar New Year celebration to ring in the new year and teach others about Asian culture. The celebration was held in the Founders Lounge on Feb. 16. 

Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated with family members and meant to respect their ancestors. Alec Lim, ACE President, thought this was an important event to have and wanted people to enjoy learning about Asian culture. 

“We want people to have a lot of fun here,” said Lim. “Asian Club hasn’t been very big for the past few years, so we want to get our name out again and teach people that even if you’re not Asian it’s okay to celebrate with us. We want to have everyone learn about our culture.” 

The event consisted of traditional Lion Dancing, which was performed by ACE’s executive board members, and Fan Dancing, which was performed by other ACE members.

Photo by — Emmy Shaffer

People who attended also had the opportunity to paint a fox mask and try popular Asian snacks, like Pocky, which are biscuit sticks covered in cream. 

Emma Wasilk, a freshman and ACE member, enjoyed planning the celebration and becoming closer with the other club members. 

“I love everyone, everyone is so nice and welcoming,” said Wasilk. “We all have different backgrounds, but we can all connect just by being a part of a club. They really are just like my family.” 

The celebration also included red envelopes, which symbolizes good wishes and luck for the new year, that were filled with little candies and stickers. 

Melani Bors, a freshman, enjoyed watching the dances the club members put on and seeing the time and effort put into the event. 

“The lion dance was my favorite, it made everyone happy and it was really good. It clearly showed how much they worked hard for this event,” said Bors.

The Lunar New Year is the beginning of the lunar calendar year, in which months are in moon cycles. This celebration is very diverse, and celebrated in different ways by various cultures on various dates. 

2023 is the year of the rabbit, which is predicted to be a year of hope. In Chinese culture, the rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity. In the cycle of Chinese zodiac signs, the rabbit is fourth in the 12 year cycle.