Bright and Bold; Santa Clara University celebrates the Lunar New Year

Puppet dancing lions, known as Great Lions, are often a central performance for many Lunar New Year Celebrations

Photos by Jason Ting for The Santa Clara.

This year, to celebrate the transition to the Year of the Snake, students and staff alike gathered in front of Benson Memorial Center to witness a showcasing of traditional outfits, crafts, music, firecrackers and performances.

Santa Clara University has been celebrating the Lunar New Year for three consecutive years, this being the fourth. “The holiday has various different nuances depending on the culture, so we try to highlight that through the various student groups,”  said Bernell Nevil III, the associate director of the Office of Multicultural Learning, which puts on the event.

Originating in China, the Lunar New Year is a massive celebration spanning across multiple countries and communities around the world. While forms of celebration shift between different cultures, the timeline for all celebrations is based on the traditional Chinese Lunisolar Calendar. This calendar revolves around a combination of the common solar calendar and the infrequently-used lunar calendar. The Lunar New Year begins on the first new moon of the solar year. 

Such celebrations can be very important cultural events for many people across the world celebrating their culture, including at the University “I celebrate every year, it's the most important festival for people of China and East Asia,” said Mark Zhang, a celebration attendee.

The celebration included striking visuals and audio experiences including a Lion Dance performance and electronic firecrackers, which are common in celebrations across the globe. 

“I think the brightness and the warm comfort within the colors of this holiday serves not only to embrace our culture but also shows people what it's all about, even if they don't celebrate,” said Tiffany Doan ’26, who has been part of the Vietnamese Student Association for multiple years. For the event, Doan dressed in an orange Áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese garment worn during celebrations. The Vietnamese Student Association is one of the five on-campus organizations involved in the celebration.

Since the Lunar New Year depends on the lunar cycle, the exact day it begins varies year to year, however it typically lies within late January to late February.  This year, Lunar New Year begins on Wednesday, Jan. 29.  The celebration is on the 23rd so that those who take the holiday off can still celebrate with their community. “By doing it early, the folks who celebrate can engage in our event,” said Nevil.