It’s the Year of the Monkey and Penn State York is celebrating Chinese New Year on Monday, Feb. 8, from 12-1:30 p.m. with a variety of activities, food and music. The festivities, in the Conference Center of the Main Classroom Building, are free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by the Penn State York Diversity Committee.
“I’m participating in organizing the Chinese New Year celebration because I want to present the Chinese culture and traditions to people with different backgrounds, and give them a better view of the diversity on our campus,” said Tianyl (Jackie) Lin , a Penn State York student and one of the organizers of the event. “I also hope by coming to this event, people can know more about Chinese culture and have fun learning it.”
Jingyi (Queena) Lu, another Penn State York student, is also helping to coordinate the event. Lin and Lu are leading a planning group of more than 20 students for this New Year observance.
The event will feature a variety of food, cultural displays, Chinese paper cutting, origami and music. Those attending will have an opportunity to have their names written in Chinese characters on cards they can take with them, learn about the Chinese Zodiac, and examine a display of ancient Chinese clothing. There will also be giveaways items.
Planners of the celebration hope that those who attend will become more familiar with Chinese culture and understand that for Chinese students, this event is the equivalent of Christmas Day in America. Penn State York enrolls approximately 145 international students, with 100 of them coming from China.