Chinese New Year celebration
PNW held its annual Chinese New Year Festival on Feb. 5 on the Hammond campus.
Students and faculty gathered to celebrate Chinese culture in the year of the Rooster. Participants enjoyed various song and dance numbers by students in the English Training in Engineering program set to a variety of Chinese music. Popular tunes were played using traditional instrumentals such as the guzheng, similar to a harp and the erhu, similar to a violin. This year’s qipao show, a fashion show featuring the traditional Chinese silk dresses, was set to Jay Chou’s “A Great Distance” and featured vocals from the Chinese Student Association.
Chinese New Year is the largest festival in China. To welcome the New Year, people put up decorations and set off firecrackers. One popular custom includes sweeping the dust to welcome the New Year, symbolizing a new beginning. Another custom is giving children red packets filled with pocket money, which symbolizes good luck.
Peiyuan Yu, Chinese Club president and mechanical engineering graduate student, said he thought the event was successful and was satisfied with the outcome.
The event also featured traditional food eaten during Chinese New Year such fish and eight treasures rice, a type of dessert made with sticky rice and fillings that symbolizes fortune.
“Nian Nian You Yu, a popular saying, means abundance every year,” Yu said.
Fish is a popular dish during this time because, in Mandarin, fish and abundance are pronounced the same but contain different characters.
Participants enjoyed the event. Jeremy Greene of Merrillville said his favorite performance was “The Wonderful Myth” on the erhu and guzheng by Yan Shi and Professor Tan.
“I thought everyone did a great job. I attended to see some of my friends perform,” Greene said.
Navidad Marquez, freshman mechanical engineering student, said he also enjoyed “The Wonderful Myth” performance.
“I look forward to being able to interact with other students in activities. I thought it was really interesting and different from my own culture,” Marquez said.
The event was sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students, PNW International Affairs Office, PNW Student Organization, English Training in Engineering program, and Northwest Indiana Chinese School.
Photographer: Md Towfiq Tofail
