The Lunar New Year began on a high note at Villanova, thanks to the Campus Activities Team. CAT hosted a 2023 Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, January 28th. The event lasted from 4-8pm, with a great turnout of students who celebrated the New Year with friends. 

The Lunar New Year celebrates the start of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. This year, January 22nd marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year typically begins at the end of January or the beginning of February on the first new moon. Festivities range for the first 15 days until the start of the full moon. 

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations among Asian cultures. Each year is connected to one of 12 animals and this year is the Year of the Rabbit, though in Vietnam it is the Year of the Cat. Red is often symbolized with the Lunar New Year because it represents good fortune, so people often wear red clothing and celebrate with red decorations.

CAT transformed Cova into a fun event to celebrate the New Year with fortune cookie making, a calligraphy station, t-shirt giveaways, a red envelope surprise and Asian New Year food. Many students attended the event to participate in fun activities, listen to music and enjoy traditional foods such as fortune cookies and spring rolls.

Cova was decorated with red and yellow lights and the tables were set up with red table cloths filled with different activities for students to try. When walking into Cova, students could pick up a t-shirt and a red envelope, which was filled with chocolates. Students could participate in the  various arts and crafts activities at the event, including making fortune cookies out of clay and calligraphy. There were paper and markers provided for those who wanted to make origami, draw or write a letter. In addition, there was craft paper that students could paint and design. To help guide students, a QR code was provided on every table that led to a video on how to make a clay fortune cookie and write Happy New Year. 

The start of a New Year is always an exciting time. It is a time for people to come together and celebrate another year that has passed on and look forward to a bright year in the future

The Lunar New Year celebration hosted by CAT was a success, allowing students to come together to celebrate the Lunar New Year with fun activities, music and food. 

Make sure to follow @villanovacat on Instagram for more updates and upcoming events.