On Friday, January 28, the Choate Chinese Club held the annual Lunar New Year banquet in collaboration with the Choate Korea Friendship Association (CKFA) and with the help of various faculty members from the Student Activities Center, Arts Department, Global Programs Department, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force. The banquet was the largest ever hosted on campus yet, complete with a variety of foods, performances, crafts, and games. The expansion was thanks in part to faculty members who were willing to provide funding for the event, which had previously been student-led and funded.
Ms. Ashley Sinclair, Adviser to International Students, helped in setting up the event. “I was new to helping with the event this year. I was one of several offices on campus considering ways to expand the number of students it could serve,” she said. “I placed a catering order and picked up the food in New Haven, then helped set up the food. Many, many others did work from performances, setting up the Reading Room, loading up the car full of boba tea, serving the food, cleaning up…”
Claire Fu ’22, vice-president of the Choate Chinese Club, added “It’s really nice because now we have all of these teachers who have huge budgets for their department, and they’re willing to use that money on the Lunar Banquet.”
This year’s Lunar Banquet was catered from Funju Noodle Bar, a local Asian fusion restaurant in Wallingford, as well as from Seoul, a Korean restaurant in New Haven.
“I really enjoyed the food, the performances, and the people,” said Kaya Tray ’24. “Students are far from home, so it’s nice to have a group of people or an event that feels like home.”
Fu agreed, saying, “Coming from Hong Kong, my old schools have always had about two weeks off for Chinese New Year, because it’s the biggest holiday in China. The Lunar Banquet is really meaningful to me personally because I get to recreate the same energy, even for just one night with my Choate family.”
Many of the performers also enjoyed sharing their cultural music and dances with the community. Danny Yoon ’24, who performed a popular Korean song “Aloha” at the Lunar Banquet, said, “I wanted to sing a Korean lyric song that some people might recognize and feel familiar with.” He continued, “I felt proud of my country’s culture, and overall, just a great experience to represent my country and share Asian culture with the Choate community.”
Sophia Kim ’24 appreciated being able to reconnect with her Korean culture through the Lunar Banquet. “I had such a great experience getting Korean food, and I appreciate how all of the clubs got together to make the Lunar Banquet possible.” For Kim, being able to watch Korean and Chinese music performances at the event was another add-on, which “made everything more special.”
The Lunar Banquet was a valuable experience for all, even those who don’t traditionally celebrate Lunar New Year. As someone who doesn’t traditionally celebrate Lunar New Year, Ixchel Hernandez ’23 said, “I thought it was very fun to experience another culture. The two performances that I especially enjoyed were Wendy Huo’s performances, and playing mahjong was a lot of fun.”
Dean of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Rachel Myers noted the importance of cultural events like the Lunar Banquet. “For our Asian and AAPI community members, I hope that this event feels supportive and uplifting of an incredibly important holiday and celebration,” she said. “And for our other community members, I hope that attending this event or other cultural events helps lead to increased cultural appreciation in the community and expanded networks of friends.”
