While many welcome the new year on Jan. 1, those who follow the lunar calendar celebrate it a few weeks later.
The day symbolizes a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar with participants taking part in a variety of traditions.
Freshman Owen Quach takes part in some of the activities offered.
“Sometimes [to celebrate] we’ll go to China and see relatives,” Quach said. “We will go and have a big dinner together and just kind of hang out in China and enjoy each other’s company.”
While the travel is fun, there are other customs he participates in.
“Receiving red envelopes is a big one — there’s a lot of red just going around everywhere for luck. Inside the envelopes is money [given by elders],” he said. “Originally it was to ward away evil, like in the ancient times, and now, it’s just kind of evolved into this.”
Although some may not directly celebrate Lunar New Year, there are still opportunities to participate in the traditions that follow. Senior Elliot Loo has his own custom of attending the luminary walk at the Overland Park Arboretum.
“It was actually a family tradition for a while,” he said. “My grandparents used to live here, and we went every year since I was like 10 for about five years.”
The event doesn’t just consist of the lanterns but instead has other attractions that make the outing worthwhile.
“There’s lots of different experiences that you can choose from and buy tickets for,” Loo said, “How I remember it is you would always just get a cup of hot cocoa at the beginning, and it was usually super cold and walk around.”
The cold weather might make people stray away from the outdoor adventure, but the organizers take that into consideration when putting together the event.
“They would have heaters set up sometimes, but a lot of it was like lights strung on big PVC pipes,” he said.
The lights are not all that is offered.
“When I was younger, they used to have an Elvis performer up on the top, and you could hear him pretty much throughout the whole walk,” he said. “They used to have Santa there sometimes.”
Loo recommends going whether you want to celebrate the holiday or just see the sights, due to the exciting sites and fun memories that can be made.
“It’s really fun, especially if you go with your friends,” he said. “It’s cute to take pictures and just walk around in the dark to see the pretty lights.”
