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To celebrate the Asian New Year and showcase the vibrancy of Asian culture, the Asian Studies Initiative at Boston University partnered with multiple cultural groups to host an Asian New Year celebration Thursday.
Approximately 300 students attended the celebration, which was held in Metcalf Ballroom in the George Sherman Union and included music, dance, food and prizes.
“We want to get students to see Asian culture but also to have fun … Asia is so big. You have East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, North Asia and West Asia,” said Yi-An Chen, president of the Asian Studies Initiative at BU. “It is very engaging to see different aspects of my own culture through the perspectives of other Asian cultures.”
The celebration boasted a variety of entertainment, including performances from BU’s miXx K-Pop Cover Dance Crew, the Gamelankemana Indonesian musical ensemble and from the BU Belly Dance Society. In addition to the entertainment, guests were greeted by red envelopes, which were filled with a “Guide to Asia,” food tickets for students to be able to sample the many ethnic cuisines and a chocolate coin for good luck.
The club has been active at BU since 2007 and has remained slightly more focused on academic-oriented workshops and talks, Chen said. Gatherings like Thursday’s New Year’s celebration not only bring people together, Chen said, but also expand the club’s understanding of a greater variety of Asian cultures.
Participating BU clubs included the Taiwanese American Student Association, India Club, Japanese Student Association, Asian Student Union, Hong Kong Student Association, Indonesian Student Association, Chinese Student Association and the Singapore Collegiate Society.
Neil Jain, a representative of the BU India Club, said the club provided students with both “fan favorites” food items such as samosas and chutney and popular activities such as a henna tattoo station.
“We actually participated last year as well, so we wanted to participate again this year,” said Jain, a senior in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences. “On top of that, we also wanted to be more connected with our other Asian families since we are all from the Asian continent, so it’s really nice to be connected with them.”
Madeleine Slykas, a performer from the Belly Dance Society, said cultural experiences like Thursday’s should be disseminated to all who want to partake in it.
“This is our first spring performance,” said Slykas, a junior in CAS. “We don’t hold auditions. Anyone can perform with us if they put in the time and commitment. Practice is open to anyone if you want belly dancing lessons.”
Several attendees said they enjoyed the atmosphere of the celebration.
“It’s a very interesting experience, meeting a lot of cultures,” said Timothy Wicaksono, a member of the Indonesian Student Association and a junior in the School of Management.
Kaviarasan Selvam, a freshman in CAS, said it was great to eat cuisine from his home region.
“I came for the food,” he said. “I’m from Malaysia, so now I am going to go try some Indonesian food.”
Anne Yeung, a senior in the College of Communication, said it was her first time attending the school’s Asian New Year celebration.
“I am from Hong Kong, and over there, we celebrate Chinese New Year every year,” she said. “This is a pretty big event to celebrate Chinese New Year. There is free food, and games, and it just sounded really attractive. Also their music choice is really good.”
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