Student-Centered Learning
Students Celebrate the Year of the Pig
Everyone loves a reason to throw a party, and for the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL), there’s no better time than the Lunar New Year. In early February, a crowd of over 150 people celebrated the Year of the Pig at the largest Asian New Year Festival on campus.
“Celebrating the Lunar New Year provides a temporal and spatial departure from our everyday routines,” said Jonathan Noble, associate professor of Chinese. “It enables a communal recognition of cultural traditions that are central to the lives of many people in Greater China, Vietnam, and the Chinese diaspora, traditions that have been historically significant in other parts of Asia, such as Japan and Korea.”
“It was natural EALL would select it as the event in which to bring their students and faculty together to interact as a department,” said Paul Nguyen, a senior and the festival’s student chairperson. “The event not only informs students of the activity of the department, but also sparks cultural interest and interest for course offerings.”
The festival began in 2002, organized by East Asian Languages and Literatures faculty. This year’s event marked the first time a student committee helped the faculty make the celebration more interactive and educational.
“In the past, the event was more teacher-centered,” says Noriko Hanabusa, associate professional specialist. “This year the students indeed organized the activities and booths, which, I believe, were much better and more successful than in previous years.”
“We on the faculty are happy to provide the means,” says Deborah Shamoon, an assistant professor of Japanese. “Ultimately, this event is for the students, so it’s right that they should decide what kind of event they would like it to be.”
Faculty and costumed students greeted guests who were then led to a buffet that offered tastes of China and Japan. The festival began with the Vietnamese Lion Dance, in which two performers made a giant lion head come to life with stunts and music, followed by a Chinese Ribbon Dance and the Vietnamese Hat Dance. All of the dances were performed by students.
Since 2006, the Asian American Association (AAA) has sponsored the festival, and other student groups, such as the Japan Club and the Vietnamese Student Association, participated in the event. Each club created an activity pavilion that integrated fun and cultural education. At the Chinese Pavilion, the Chinese Culture Society taught about Chinese superstitions, red banner calligraphy, and the traditional Mahjong game.
“I hosted the marble chopstick game, in which participants try to pick up the most marbles with a pair of wooden chopsticks in 30 seconds,” said Diane Sullivan, a sophomore Chinese major. “That was my favorite activity!”
Nao Hayashi, assistant professor of Japanese, added: “I visited most of the pavilions myself and I enjoyed each activity, including New Year card making and the chopsticks game. Most of the things from China or Vietnam were very new to me. I never experienced those things, like the Lion Dance or Vietnamese Hat Dance, even when I was in Japan.”
Participants capitalized on the opportunity to incorporate their love of Asia with academic interests and their cultural heritage.
“Asians are the fastest growing minorities on campus,” said sophomore Stephanie Nguyen, a festival committee member. “I’m very proud to be an Asian American, and I want to share our Asian traditions with people who are interested in learning about them.”
“Asian New Year Festival allows faculty and students to share cultural traditions and practices with each other,” said Paul Nguyen. “It forms a greater respect for cultural diversity as well as a greater understanding of Asian culture and ways of thought.”
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Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
This piece was contributed by Jane Marie Russell, an intern in the College of Arts and Letters Office of Web Communications and Support. Russell is a senior Political Science major with minors in Latin American Studies and Asian Studies.