by Kennedy Ushiroda
On the eve of Lunar New Year, more than 140 people attended the Lunar New YEar celebration in the Warehouse. The Asian American and Pacific Islander Coalition (AAPIC), Chinese Culture Club (CCC), and Centre Vietnamese Student Association (Centre VSA) came together to host the event. The University of Louisville Vietnamese Student Association (UofL VSA) were invited to attend this celebration in addition to the local Danville community.
Students, family, and friends from multiple counties traveled to this cultural affair and left with an enriched understanding of Lunar New Year: the celebration provided a presentation to describe the importance and meaning of Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year celebrates the arrival of spring and good fortune. Guests also enjoyed food from Pho BC and Oriental House, as well as traditional games such as Mahjong and bau cua tom ca (Vietnamese Gambling). Every student who entered the Warehouse was entered into the prize raffle fashioned in red envelopes to encourage new year fortune. The prizes included a lego set, variety snack box, and Asian face masks.
Decorated with Chinese paper lamps with red and gold accents, the Warehouse was booming with Lunar New Year decor. A glittering photo wall allowed students to take snapshots of this vibrant night. AAPIC co-President, junior Jennifer Vong, said, “I was very shocked and pleased to see an amazing turnout for the Lunar New Year Celebration. I would like to formally thank and shoutout to my amazing AAPIC exec team, VSA, and CCC for their hard work to make this celebration possible. AAPIC has come a long way, as it will turn two years old in a couple weeks, but we look forward to organizing more events for students on campus. Look out for flyers about our upcoming events!”
If you are interested in more information about upcoming events like this, please consider joining AAPIC, CCC, or Centre VSA!