Academy Holds Lunar New Year Celebration

By LOGAN BECKERLE, ELLINA KIM, CHLOE LIND, and ANDREW YANG

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Academy hosted its annual dinner to celebrate Lunar New Year. Students and faculty gathered in Elm Street and the New Dining Hall to enjoy a vast array of Asian foods, colorful decorations, and a fun, festive night.  

For many, Lunar New Year is a time to commemorate the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar by spending time with family and performing cultural traditions, the most notable being the Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner. 

Lower Minghan Zou explained that, even amongst other Lunar New Year traditions, the dinner stands out. “The dinner is a very significant tradition in Chinese culture,” he said.

“It’s a time to reflect on my experiences and have a fresh start full of fortune and happiness,” added prep Evan Chen.

Prep Serena Yue noted, “It is a celebration of my cultural heritage and it helps me embrace the Asian half of myself.”

In celebration, dining services and Academy parents joined forces to prepare a special dinner for the Exeter community. For the entire day, lanterns, couplets, and red tablecloths adorned both dining halls. By the evening, students filed in for steamed dumplings and traditional Asian foods. 

Senior Ethan Ding commented, “I loved all the snacks and desserts, especially the boba that they had. [Both dining halls] were decorated a bunch—there were streamers and red posters everywhere. There was even one snake poster with red eyes.”

“My favorite was the projection on the screen that played parents saying ‘Happy Snake Year!’ to everyone,” recalled prep Serena Yue.

Many students commented on the delicious and authentic food. Chen described, “It was super festive with the events and decorations…the food was tasty, with a lot of choices. From the dumplings to the Cantonese tomato and eggs, many of the dishes were well made.”

“The beef was really good,” praised lower Eli Orbach.

The dumplings, created by parents, faculty, and students a few days before, were a fan-favorite. “I really liked the dumplings. They were very well crafted,” noted lower Allen Klingel.

“The food was delicious and I especially loved the dumplings!” complimented Instructor in Chinese Ning Zhou. “I know many parents came to school to help make the dumplings the previous week, and many students attended as well.”

Though typically a time spent with family, many Exonians spent the holiday with friends, celebrating customs and traditions that varied from home. 

Yue said that the Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner “reminded [her] of home.” She added, “I think Exeter did a great job of easing the homesickness.”

Chen echoed her sentiments, adding, “I was glad to experience it with the friends I’ve made here. Their presence really made me feel right at home.”

Ding added, “I sat with a group of friends and had a nice conversation, which was great. And I feel like that night, there were a lot of conversations and groupings—it just felt like people were together. The sense of community was strong and I really enjoyed it.”

Lower Oscar Zhu shared, “We would usually host a big dinner with all of our relatives, but now instead of my relatives I’m with my friends. The atmosphere in the dining hall was very similar to what it would be back home, with laughter and happiness spread across the room.”

Some students compared the festive dinner to their traditional celebrations at home, noting how being away from home and not being able to perform certain cultural traditions made the experience feel different.

“It definitely felt weird celebrating Chinese New Year away from home for the first time,” Chen remarked.

“At home, some of our food is different, and there are a lot of unique traditions that we can’t do here,” Yue described.

“We usually light up a lot of fireworks and firecrackers on New Year’s Eve and sit together as a family to watch Chunwan [Chinese New Year Gala],” mentioned Zhu. 

“At home, it is more of a whole day celebration,” Ding remarked. “Though it might be unrealistic to have a day off, I think it’d be a good idea.”

Despite being away from home, some still took time to reach out to their families.

“I don’t see my relatives or parents as much around this time of the year, but I definitely made sure to Facetime them when I had the time to,” Chen shared. “Despite the differences, I’m super happy with the celebration this year, and I hope Exeter continues to celebrate the diversity of its students throughout the remaining time I’m here.”

Lunar New Year is a time to come together and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter, while also reflecting on the ending of the previous one. Through various celebratory activities, students gathered and shared in the warmth of togetherness, reflecting together. As the Year of the Snake begins, Exonians carry forward its themes of purpose, resilience, and transformation.