On Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, the Year of the Tiger began for those following the lunar calendar. To kick off the weekly Tuesday assembly, international students senior Victoria Tang and junior Frank Pu each put on sensational performances, not only celebrating the new year but also celebrating Chinese culture.
Lunar New Year is a holiday commonly celebrated in East Asian countries and is also widely known as the Chinese New Year. It marks the beginning of the new year on the lunar calendar and also represents prosperity, new beginnings, and community. While many of the Chinese international students were disappointed about their inability to go back home and celebrate the new year with their families, others, such as Victoria and Frank, tried to bring the celebrating feelings of the holiday back to the KO campus.
Displaying his musical talent, Frank performed a thrilling piece on the hulusi, starting slow before speeding up with much more difficult articulation. The hulusi is a traditional Chinese wind instrument made with three pieces of bamboo strapped through a gourd. In modern times, it is commonly heard in the soundtracks of historical Chinese movies and dramas, bringing a traditional feel to the works.
“I combined several songs together,” Frank said. “I combined the coolest parts in my point of view so that when I play it, people will just think ‘Oh my God, traditional Chinese instruments are so cool!’”
Moving on to the second portion of the program, Victoria brought out fans and an umbrella, captivating the audience with a traditional Chinese dance. Despite feeling nervous, Victoria was able to masterfully show KO a style of dance that most students and staff had most likely never seen before. “I feel like that’s a very good example of celebrating my culture through the way of dance,” Victoria said. “I know I did a great job because I heard people’s reactions and compliments, with a new understanding of Chinese beauty.”
On that same day, during lunch, students also organized activities such as calligraphy writing and mask painting in the area connecting the cafeteria and the library. Many students quickly stopped by to see and try out new skills.
The dances and traditional instruments that are so commonly taught to young kids in China and the celebrations of Chinese culture aren’t usually seen in American schools. Yet, at KO, students were able to assimilate their culture into the school, teaching and showing others something different from what they’ve known.
“The school only has around 20 to 30-ish students with Chinese cultural background, and the school has a total population of around 400 to 500 people,” Frank said, “so it makes me feel really proud that we are able to make those 400 to 500 [people] accept the 30 people’s culture.”
Students have brought their cultural backgrounds to KO in the past, such as the Diwali table set up at lunch in November 2021 and International Day during Spirit Week in October 2021. As time passes, students continue to learn about and proudly share their cultures, as they have done in years prior. With the various displays of Chinese culture and celebration, KO was once again able to immerse itself in the culture of the Lunar New Year.
