Clubs collaborate to celebrate Lunar New Year
PHOTO: Jane Zhang presents to the Chinese Culture Club about the pipa, an instrument with four strings, 30 frets and over 60 different schools of technique surrounding how to play it.
By Charissa Zeigler,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Chunjie, Seollal and Têt. The respective Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese names for one of the biggest celebrations of the year in many Asian countries: Lunar New Year.
The holiday is celebrated in a 15-day period, from the new to full moon. During that time, family members gather to connect over shared traditions.
Davis High students in Korean Club worked with members of Culture Club to host a New Year’s celebration over Zoom. Korean students shared what Seollal means to them and what traditions they practice.
For junior Alvin Lee, the pandemic has altered the usual celebration. “For my family […] we just had the conversational part of the event and nothing else,” Lee said.
Members of Korean Club shared about two common Korean New Year’s traditions: Sebae and Charye. In Sebae, children bow to their elders and in return are given pocket money. Charye is a less common practice where ancestors who have already died are honored through offerings of food.
However, Lee notes that this part of the holiday is not celebrated by many Protestant Christian Koreans due to controversy over whether the tradition merely honors ancestors or counts as worship.
As a result of the collaboration, senior and co-president of Culture Club Lisa Wang gained insight into Korean culture. “We learned about the traditional attire, table manner [and] common dishes that the South Korean[s] generally practice during their New Year,” Wang said.
Chinese Club also hosted a separate New Year’s celebration. Junior May Wang and sophomore Jacqueline Chao moderated the event.
The two introduced a dancer who performed in a dragon costume to beating drums, a musician playing the a traditional pear-shaped instrument called the pipa, and songs such as “mua li hua” or “Jasmine Flower” and “gong xī” or “Congratulations” sung by Chinese club members.
Korean Club member junior Carol Deng noted the difference between Chinese and Korean New Year. “Korean New Year is a lot more relaxed than Chinese New Year. […] China has a month off [school], [Chinese] dishes take a long[er] time to prepare, [and] giving money is less common now,” Deng said. Koreans also do not have a dragon dance.
The three cultures share a 12-animal zodiac calendar. 2021 is the Year of the metal Ox as determined by the position of Jupiter. According to Chinese tradition, those with the Ox zodiac are more likely to experience bad luck during the reign of their zodiac sign over the year.
