By Tira Mercadante || Op-Ed Layout Assistant
February 1st was this year’s Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year. F&M’s Asian Cultural Society (ACS) celebrated this traditional Chinese holiday by hosting an event at the Joseph International Center. During the event, participants made dumplings, a traditional food eaten during the holiday.
“My experience of the Lunar New Year was really great,” says Co-President Kimberly Hu. “I was really excited to make this event happen and share my culture with people who are interested. I also feel like I did something extremely meaningful because a lot of international students who used to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families get really homesick during this period. We thought bringing this atmosphere of Lunar New Year to the campus by making dumplings would give them a sense of belonging. I was so happy to see that people had fun at the event. It motivates us to do more to share our wonderful culture.”
Photo Courtesy of Tira Mercadante. Students competing to wrap the cleanest dumplings!
The event turned out to be a big success with about 80 international students and domestic students coming together to celebrate the Lunar New Year. After a long hiatus, ACS hopes to have similar events that integrate all of campus together in celebrating various Asian cultures and traditions. ACS is ready to make its comeback!
Be on the lookout for more events hosted by ACS this semester— everyone is welcome to join!
Check out the ACS Instagram page: @fandm_asianculturalsociety.
Tira Mercadante is a sophomore and the Op-Ed Layout Assistant of The College Reporter. Her email is tmercada@fandm.edu.