From traditional games to vibrant performances, the Korean Lunar New Year Annual Festival turned an ordinary school weekend into a celebration of culture and community.
The festival took place on Saturday, February 21, in the Tenafly High School cafeteria. The cafeteria was filled with people wearing Korean traditional clothing, hanbok. Families, students, and staff gathered to experience Korean culture together.
Highlights from the festival included the Korean minimarket, cultural performances, and Korean games. Eye-catching Korean goods were available for purchase (only with cash) at the mini market: Korean street food, stationary, and toys. The air buzzed with excitement, and the scent of Korean food wafted through the cafeteria.
Students from elementary, middle, and high school had prepared their performances for weeks before the event. The orchestra, which I was a part of, played both the American and Korean national anthems and also played the famous Korean traditional song “Arirang.”
The Korean fan dance “Buchaechum” had students from the elementary and middle schools dressed in colorful clothing, dancing with fancy traditional fans in coordination with the music. The performers twirled around, and the chorus sang along both of the national anthems performed by the orchestra while dressed in Korean traditional clothing.
Dressed in costumes resembling the characters from the movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, the K-Pop team performed exciting and coordinated movements along with music from the movie.
Nanta, or Korean drums, filled the auditorium with thunderous beats. The stage erupted with the sharp crack of drumsticks as the students performed with high energy. Using traditional rhythms and synchronized movements, the group transformed simple drums into powerful instruments. Additionally, Samul nori, Korean percussion instruments, were used during the performances, with the sharp clash of gongs and the deep rumble of drums filling the auditorium with perfectly-timed strikes and a fast-paced rhythm.
Finally, the festival featured Taekwondo, one of Korea’s most renowned martial arts traditions, which showcases both physical skill and deep cultural heritage. During the performance, students demonstrated a variety of techniques, including powerful kicks, quick punches, and precise movements that required strength and control. Some performers also showed impressive board breaking demonstrations, where they broke wooden boards using carefully aimed kicks and strikes.
Following the captivating performances, people rushed into the cafeteria to enjoy the rest of the celebration. There, where the mini market was located, people were busy buying all the impressive goods, and others were able to participate in the exciting Korean games that were available. One game was Cat’s Cradle, a game commonly enjoyed by students in Korea and which includes Korean string play using a loop of strings stretched between the fingers. Another game was Eraser Wrestling, a simple tabletop game where players use their fingers to wrestle with small erasers, trying to push or flip the opponent’s eraser. The traditional Korean board game Yutnori, a popular game played among Korean families on Lunar New Year, was also available. A station that attracted younger kids was Ddakji, a traditional Korean game which includes thick paper origami tiles and players taking turns throwing their tile onto an opponent’s tiles, trying to flip them over.
The Korean Lunar New Year festival, hosted annually by the KPA (Korean Parent’s Association), is an event that should not be missed. If you were unable to come to this year’s festivities, mark your calendar for next year; it’s definitely an event worth experiencing.
