Asian Heritage Affinity Presents on Lunar New Year Around the Globe
On February 7, ahead of CSW’s Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, Asian Heritage Affinity gave a presentation on Lunar New Year celebrations around the world. Lunar New Year is celebrated by over 1.5 billion people across the globe, and each country has its own customs and traditions.
China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, North Korea, and Brunei all have national public holidays during Lunar New Year!
Student presenters, AHA co-heads Katherine Lau '26 and Lucia Yu '24 along with AHA members Ella Sharma, Daisy Leng '26 and Coco Chen '26 shared traditional decorations and art created around the holiday in different countries. In China red lanterns symbolize light and hope for the coming year, doors and windows are adorned with Couplets (red banners) with auspicious phrases and paper cutting with intricate designs, often depicting the zodiac animal of the year, symbolizing luck and happiness.
In Korea, hanboks are worn during the the holiday as a way to honor their heritage and participate in the festive spirit of the holiday. Elders give children a gift called sebaedon (New Year’s money) in a bokjumeoni, a lucky silk or cotton bright colored pouch embroidered with patterns believed to bring good luck or characters meaning joy, wealth, longevity and fortune.
In Vietnam during Lunar New Year, calligraphers set up shop in temples and public spaces to write auspicious words and phrases in Han-Nom (the old Vietnamese script which combines Chinese-origin characters and native Vietnamese characters) on red paper. Like China, they also create art out of cut paper.
In Singapore, those who celebrate typically tie red knots in front of their stores, in the mentels, and on their window. It's said to brings good luck and prosperity. It’s also known as Mystic Knots.
In Malaysia due to the influence of China, a lot of the traditions are similar to Chinese traditions. Kumquat trees are also found in houses and office buildings during Lunar New Year, they symbolize prosperity and good luck.
In Indonesia you might see Wayang Potehi or a traditional puppet show during this time. This art form has been around for more than 3,000 years and originated from China. The traditional puppet clothes use embroidery techniques, and the head is carved out of wood.
Join us on Saturday, February 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the Swope Room of the Cheek building to learn how our CSW students and families celebrate the holiday. There will be delicious food, traditional decorations and art! We hope to see you there.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.