Almost a month and a half after the Gregorian calendar announced the arrival of 2018, the people of China celebrated Lunar New Year, the beginning of the Year of the Dog. In Chinese culture, it is the most important holiday culturally, and it gives families a time and reason to reunite. During this time of the year, millions of people leave their adopted cities to traverse miles back to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year with their old communities.
Students enjoyed Asian culture and food at the annual Lunar Banquet.
At Choate, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Chinese Club and the Asian Student Association, along with other clubs, sponsor an annual Lunar Banquet. This banquet gives an opportunity for the Chinese community on campus to recreate the community feeling of a family gathering at home. Though thousands of miles away from home, students celebrate this time of the year with members of the community and to have food familiar to home. The banquet also provides an opportunity to raise appreciation for Asian culture, enjoy Asian food, and have fun with friends. Angelina Heyler ’18, a cabinet member of the Chinese Club on campus, said, “We hope that the Lunar Banquet was a chance for students of all different cultures to celebrate the holiday with us.”
The Lunar Banquet had food mainly from Formosa, a popular Asian fusion restaurant in North Haven, which serves items including dumplings, sushi, Korean rice cakes, and fried rice. Heather Shao ’19, a cabinet member of the Asian Students Association, said that “SAGE also helped with a lot of the setup, tables, and linens, and they also provided the ice cream.”
With the allure of good food and new cultural experiences, the Lunar Banquet drew people from all over campus to attend. Samuel Maldonado ’20 said, “The food was great. There were so many different types of Asian Cuisine. The 12 dollars were definitely worth it.”
