Lunar New Year was celebrated at Laurier Brantford this past week on Feb. 9 in St Andrew’s Church.  

The celebration took place to celebrate the international students at Laurier Brantford.  

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is celebrated around the world in Chinese culture.  

This year is the year of the dog, starting on Feb. 16. The event hosted a speaker who spoke about the meaning of the dog and how it became.  

The annual event was sold out this year with almost 100 people in attendance.  

Students, both international and domestic were welcome at the event, which hosted many different things. 

“I think it’s necessary because there are so many Chinese students here,” said Cedric Zheng, and international student from China who is also a peer mentor at Laurier International.  

Lunar New Year is similar to Christmas to domestic students, said Zheng. So when students are not able to be with their families or fly home, Laurier International brigs everyone together to celebrate with the Laurier family. 

“It provided opportunities for domestic students to know East Asian Spring Festival and celebrate it with East Asian students together. The event also encouraged domestic students and international students communicate with each other,” said Shirley Zhang, event coordinator. 

The event included, food, performances by many and even a raffle. 

Students were able to win dentistry gift cards, Tim Hortons gear, gift cards to Sunset Grill and even month passes to Moksha Yoga.  

Emma Ruetz, a student at Laurier Brantford, said there was a performer who sang Chinese opera. She explained that it was a great look at the culture and really enjoyed it. 

The event also consisted of a dumpling making station. This is the first year this station has been present at this event, and folks who attended found it entertaining and tasty.  

The Intercultural Students’ Association of Brantford (ISAB) also brought in people to the event to help celebrate.  

Laurier International is planning to throw a few more events in honour of Lunar New Year, including a tea ceremony and a music showcase. 

Laurier International is also hosting their annual Multi-Cultural Gala on March 16. No information is out about the event yet. 

“It is huge. Everyone’s invited,” said Emma Ruetz, a student at Laurier Brantford. “We get food from all sorts of different cultures, we have got a traditional wear fashion show, performers, awards.”