Through previous years, Carlmont students have gained more and more knowledge on Chinese New Year, a holiday celebrated by Chinese families worldwide each year.
Chinese Culture Club (CCC) has been planning Chinese New Year events for the past few years, hoping that students get to appreciate Chinese culture and learn things that they may not have even wondered about before, like the origin of the famous red envelope, a well-known motif in Chinese culture.
A typical celebration consists of a traditional dinner (substituted for lunch during the school celebration) along with interactive activities that students can participate in, like a traditional game of mahjong. Although this eventful day had already passed for this year, that was not an excuse for CCC to begin planning for next year.
“I haven’t been to one [Chinese New Year (CNY) event] yet, but I hope it will be even more fun and popular than previous years,” said freshman and member Denise Zhou.
As well as the celebration, sophomore and member Nathaniel Pon enjoys the benefits of learning more about Chinese culture.
“The CNY event is supposed to be a learning experience in a ‘fun’ way. It invites people to come learn about the traditions of CNY, which is a significant cultural event in China,” said Pon.
While making small improvements to the event to make it even more exciting than before, CCC is in the process of electing new club officers to bring new ideas to the table and to attract more students to join in on the fun, all while learning more about new cultures.
“The upcoming CNY event will be different due to new leadership and [adviser] Ms. Chiang’s new ideas of running it differently,” Pon said.
Many may be surprised to find that many objects and ideas originated from ancient Chinese culture, such as porcelain pottery, hence the name “fine china,” and various forms of martial arts, like kung fu, which is less commonly known as wushu.
Sophomore Yannie Lam said, “CNY really shows a part of Chinese culture, and I think that our culture should be more widespread and shared with people who may not get the chance to learn about it otherwise.”
To find out more and to contribute to next year’s event, visit U14 every first and third Friday at lunch.
