BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As students served one another bowls of chè bắp, a Vietnamese sweet corn soup, another group chatted in their native tongue while practicing calligraphy, an appreciated art form in Asia.
The cultural pride was abundant at Lehigh University's Lamberton Hall at Friday's Lunar New Year celebration.
On the tables laid red envelopes, which are typically filled with money or coins, and meant to usher in good luck and prosperity in the new year.
Lunar New Year, which is celebrated by most Asian countries, including in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia, began on Wednesday.
It is typically a two-week-long celebration marking the first day of the Chinese calendar year. 2025 marks the year of the Wood Snake, which signifies renewal and regeneration.
The campus event, now in its second year, was organized by students of Lehigh University's Asian Cultural Society (ACS).
Also in attendance were members of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE); Southeast Asia at Lehigh (SEAL), Korean Students Association (KSA), Lehigh’s Japanese Students Association (JSA), Vietnamese Students Association of Lehigh (VSA), Thai Lao Cambodian Alliance at Lehigh University (TLCAS) and the Lehigh Lions.
A sense of home
The assorted clubs brought food and traditional dishes, and each group had a chance to talk about what the foods represent in their countries.
There was also a fashion show and as well as music and dancing.
"It's a very important celebration because it gives the students memories and gives them a sense of home. And when they take part in the eating of certain foods and certain songs and then dancing, it calls back memories of activities and sights and smells that they experienced back home. So it's very important to their sense of belonging," Lehigh professor Tom Chen said.
For Lehigh's Asian students — which make up an estimated 11% of the student population — the event is not just a way to share cultural traditions, but to help with feelings of homesickness.
"It's a very important celebration because it gives the students memories and gives them a sense of home."Lehigh professor Tom Chen
"Over the years, I've talked to people and just in general for the Asian club events, whenever students come to them, they tell me how much they feel at home, especially if they're freshmen and it's their first time away," Angela Tibudan, president of the SEAL club said.
"So these kinds of things are a really good thing to have on campus, especially because the Lunar New Year is a major holiday."
Symbols in the shapes of foods
Chen related the Lunar New Year to Thanksgiving — a time to gather with family and share food.
Tibudan, who is Filipino, said her family typically makes dishes with noodles.
"Noodles are pretty common. Any kind of noodle dish represents longevity, like our long lives, so we eat those, like on Lunar New Year," she said. "And then round fruits because they represent prosperity."
Chen, who is teaching Chinese creative writing and Asian American studies this semester, said his family is from the northern part of China, whereas his wife's is from the south, where different types of foods are consumed during the holiday.
"In the north, the dumpling is the centerpiece. There has to be dumplings served because the dumpling symbolizes that togetherness, because it is round and there's a filling that's enveloped by the shell, again representing that togetherness," he explained.
"In the south of China, where my wife is from, you basically have a Smorgasbord of dishes, anything and everything from meats to seafood to veggies."
Celebrating culture
Kylie Park's family hails from South Korea, and while the Park family doesn't always participate the New Year traditions at home, she did learn about them as a child.
"It's a traditional custom to pay respect towards our ancestors, so when the foods are placed on the table as an offering, it begins by bowing to parents and grandparents for two to three minutes."Lehigh student Kylie Park
"It's a traditional custom to pay respect toward our ancestors, so when the foods are placed on the table as an offering, it begins by bowing to parents and grandparents for two to three minutes," said Park.
In the country, there are games played and children then bow to their grandparents and receive small gifts of money, referred to as sebae.
Park, a senior and president of KSA, has noticed an uptick in the Asian population on campus since she first enrolled.
There's also an increase of interest in Asian culture, celebrated by all.
"I definitely appreciate it. KSA was brought back to life two years ago. That's when we kind of like reinvented it because before the club was more exclusive to Korean international students, but we kind of like re-branded it, so now anyone who's interested in Korean culture and Korean history are welcome to join," Park said.
For Tibudan, seeing the different cultural clubs on campus is a welcome change.
"It's really great because I'm from a place that didn't have a lot of diversity in my high school, so coming to Lehigh here and finding out that we're not huge [population] but there is a community here. It's very tight knit and you can tell through events like this."
