During McLean’s annual Lunar New Year celebration on Friday, the once dimly-lit cafeteria came alive with the sights and smells of cultural decorations and food. Lunar New Year is an ancient Chinese tradition that takes place over a 15-day period, with the first day falling on Feb. 17 this year. McLean’s extravagant event reflected months of collaboration, planning and commitment.
Organized jointly by the Chinese club, Asian American club, Vietnamese club and Korean club, the celebration not only showcased Lunar New Year traditions, but also the strength of student leadership.
“Behind the scenes or the actual event, months of planning had gone into creating this event. We collaborated to figure out tasks, and most importantly determined which date most people were available,” Korean club co-president Daniel Kim said.
Club leaders had worked together to divide responsibilities such as reserving the cafeteria, coordinating snack duties and organizing games throughout the event.
“We wanted this to be more than just a celebration, but about bringing everybody together,” Asian American club president Angelina Yang said.
Following the lengthy planning process, the event itself reflected that effort through its lively atmosphere and wide range of activities.
“The event took months of planning and preparation, and that showed,” junior Adrian Wiklund said.
The cafeteria buzzed with energy as students moved between participating in various games, such as picking up skittles with chopsticks or gambling with shrimp chips.
“It was honestly really fun to experience so many cultures and because there was so much to do,” junior Henry Crumpler said, “I didn’t really know much about Lunar New Year or its traditions, but the games and food made it easy to get involved.
For many attendees, the event stood out for how much of an immersive experience it was. Students were encouraged to interact, try new foods and learn about traditions that were once unfamiliar, creating an inclusive environment.
“As a sponsor of the club, it was really great to see everyone come together, collaborate and make such an amazing event happen, where everybody felt included,” Latin teacher Ava Minutello said.
