On January 31, the Lunar New Year Celebration was held in the Library Media Center, bringing students from diverse backgrounds to join in the traditions and cultures of certain parts of Asia. As an annual festival, many students watched the show that spanned from period 2 to period 6. This year, the celebration was organized primarily by the Korean Cultural Club (KCC) and the Chinese Culture Club (CCC), with the Indian Culture Club (ICC) also featuring in the event.
Lunar New Year is a “celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar,” according to the Smithsonian National Museum of Art. It is widely celebrated in Asia and marks the new year based on lunar calendars.
Due to the effort and time spent preparing for the celebration, the performance proved to be rewarding in terms of the performers’ pride in their culture and heritage. For many students, the Lunar New Year Celebration wasn’t just a series of performances, but also a memorable experience.
“[I was] able to teach fan dance to my club members one last time after four years of being in the KCC,” Olivia Kee (’25) said. “As a Korean traditional dancer outside of school, this felt like something I could really contribute towards the club.” She continued to state that the celebration was a great opportunity for students to display their cultural appreciation on the special day.
This sentiment was echoed among other students.
“I think the most special thing about Lunar New Year to me was the whole process of preparing for the celebration,” Marley Han (’27), a member of the KCC, said. “We had to go to each others’ houses, and I had to spend my lunches and after school practicing and preparing. This year, I did three performances. I did two K-pop dances and […] a Korean fan dance, so just spending that time bonding with my peers [was] really special to me.”
Melinda Zhang (’26), the co-president of the CCC, also touched upon the sense of community that she was able to experience through the celebration.
“One of my personal highlights from the festival was dancing with all of my friends, even those who weren’t part of the CCC, and getting to hang out upstairs,” she said. “Even though it was really tiring, I had a lot of fun just celebrating and talking to everyone.”
Some students, on the other hand, remarked on how the Lunar New Year Celebration successfully blended traditional and modern day practices through different performances.
“I think that the Chinese and Korean fan dances really captured the traditional aspect of culture and [as for the K-pop dances], they embodied the modern sense of Asian culture,” Kristy Hom (’27), a member of the CCC, said.
As the celebration marks the start of Lunar New Year, many more school-wide events are planned for 2025. For those who didn’t have a chance to view the Lunar New Year Celebration, full videos are posted on the Tenafly High School YouTube channel, divided into morning sessions and afternoon sessions.
