February 21, 2010 | Lisa HoLung
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For many Asian American students at UT, having a place to celebrate the Lunar New Year can make a big difference in feeling at home within a large university in a new city.
The Asian American Culture Committee hosted the university’s annual Lunar New Year Celebration on Feb. 9 at the Texas Union Ballroom.
Events like the Lunar New Year celebration are important to the UT community because they become parts of the cultural and family heritage of many students, said Raymond Yang, a coordinator for the celebration.
"It's a tradition that people want to continue, even if they are away from home," he said.
Flowing red curtains and strings of paper lanterns adorned the ballroom and a hand-painted backdrop of a traditional Chinatown graced the stage. Papier-mâché tigers were displayed in honor of 2010 being the year of the tiger.
The celebration highlighted the talents of a variety of student organizations and teams. Performers included Texas Lion Dance Team, Hum A Cappella, Texas Wushu, Ziranment/Natural Style Kungfu, and bands Genevieve and Batteries Not Included.
The karaoke competition was a particular audience favorite. Auditions for the contest were held in weeks prior and the final four finalists performed to an excited audience at the Lunar New Year show. The level of audience cheering and clapping determined the winning finalist: Julia Hsu.
One stage game included a Lunar New Year trivia game show that posed trivia to two random audience members. To the final question about the origins of the fortune cookie, the winner correctly answered: California. Snuggies and event T-shirts were given away as participation prizes.
For international students or students who may not be able to return home for Lunar New Year, the significance of having an on-campus event is even greater, said Nhi Tran, also an event coordinator.
"It can be difficult to be away when you're used to celebrating with your family and friends. I hope this event can help people feel more at home at UT and meet more people like themselves," she said.
In addition to the Lunar New Year celebration, the Asian American Culture Committee hosts other events like Miss UT Asia and works in coordination with other organizations like the Asian American Film Festival of Austin.
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Camp Lucy Event Center features restored buildings imported from Vietnam.
2 comments
Lisa, thanks for the article!
By the way, what is the origin of the fortune cookie?
Hmm...I believe San Francisco the exact city where the fortune cookie was first created.