Fleming International students celebrate Lunar New Year
Peterborough ON – (January 31, 2022) – February 1 is Lunar New Year marking the start of the lunar calendar year and the beginning of the Spring Festival. For Fleming International students Thi Quynh Mai Dong, Josh (Mu – Hsuan Chien), and Tang Li, it is a special time to celebrate their culture with friends and family.
Due to the pandemic, celebrations will look a little different. Thi Quynh Mai Dong, Josh (Mu – Hsuan Chien), and Tang Li share how they plan to celebrate the holiday and what it means to them.
Q: What does Lunar New Year mean to you?
Josh (Mu – Hsuan Chien): I am from Taiwan and Lunar New Year is an exciting time to gather with family and friends and kick back, relax and catch up. It is an excellent way to start a brand-new year.
Thi Quynh Mai Dong: I am from Vietnam, and Lunar New Year has always been the biggest celebration of the year for everyone. It is like vacation time after a calendar year of hard work. Typically, we would have a week to ten days off, and all we do is make food, gather with family and friends, and enjoy activities around the community. I hope that this makes people understand a bit of our culture.
Tang Li: I am from Lanzhou, China, and the Spring festival is the most important festival for Chinese people worldwide. It is just like Christmas for westerners. Lunar New Year is a time for my family and me to reunite, take stock of the past year and start a new one.
Q: How do you plan to celebrate Lunar New Year?
Josh (Mu – Hsuan Chien): I have created a vlog that includes the 5 ways to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Thi Quynh Mai Dong: I plan to make a dish called Bánh Chưng. I chose to make the dish because it reminds me of my family. It uses simple ingredients, but the techniques to create and cook the cake make it memorable.
Tang Li: I plan to make a dish called “pork in liquor sauce”. I chose to make the dish because it is unique to Lanzhou, China, where I grew up. The main ingredients are pork, fermented bean curd and liquor. The beans represent the agrarian civilization, and the liquor represents the nomadic civilization, an excellent multicultural fusion.
Fleming international students, we encourage you to share a glimpse of what your #LunarNewYear looks like. Post a photo of your celebrations and tag @flemingcollege and #FlemingLunar2022 for the chance to be featured.