The day of celebration for Chinese New Year is confined to Feb. 16, but in China, it’s a month-long spectacular celebration of tradition and culture.
In honor of Chinese New Year, Cal State Long Beach’s Chinese Student and Scholars Association will host the Chinese Lunar Gala from 5 to 8 p.m. March 3 in the University Student Union Ballroom.
The holiday is based off the ancient Chinese Lunar calendar and functions as a 5religious, dynastic and social guide. Every new year is represented by one of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs that circulate, this being the year of the dog.
“In China it is a big celebration,” President of CSSC and international student from China, Xu Shi said. “Your whole family comes together and it’s a lot of fun.”
This year marks the first time the celebration will take place at Long Beach. It has been at UC Irvine, USC and other Southern California schools over the years.
The three-hour event will include singing, dancing and traditional Chinese musical performances. Many of the performances will be from students both from Cal State Long Beach and neighboring colleges, as the Chinese Student Association is a national club.
One of the performances will be a traditional Chinese dance by students from UC Irvine.
For many international students and faculty, the annual celebration offers a taste of the kind of traditional gathering most often seen in China, where citizens get the whole week off from work and school to honor the holiday.
“Because there are so many Chinese students and people here in California, I have been celebrating [the holiday] just as much as in China and have been to about 10 different celebrations here in America already,” Shi said.
Another club member attending the event is PR manager of the club, Mengfei Song.
“It is like a really really big festival in China,” Song said. “It’s like Christmas in China.”
Attendees can sign up through the Chinese Association to reserve a special seat to view the various performances throughout the night. Those who do not reserve seating will have to arrive early as the event is first come first served. The event is informal with around 200 students already signed up to attend.