Five Los Altos High School clubs and the Mandarin classes are coming together to host a lunchtime Lunar New Year festival in the quad this Friday, January 31. Featuring a lineup of activities, food, and performances, all students can celebrate the beginning of a new year.
Lunar New Year marks the start of a new year following the lunar calendar. Based on Asian traditions, every year is associated with one of the animals in the Chinese zodiac. 2025 brings the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes flexibility and growth through regeneration — like a snake shedding its skin.
Often a time for reunion and reflection, Lunar New Year is a widely celebrated holiday for many Asian cultures. Families gather to share meals, welcome prosperity for the new year, and follow various cultural traditions.
“I think it’s important to bring the values that we carry with us in our culture and bring them to America,” Chinese Culture Club president junior Josh Hwang said.
The festival’s goal is to embrace the traditions of the LAHS Asian student body while also sharing them with a broader school community through the festival, Korean Culture Club president senior Simona Choi mentioned.
“The Chinese are not the only ones celebrating the new year,” Mandarin teacher Connie Chen said. “We have all these students coming from different backgrounds at the same festival.”
Alongside all four levels of the Mandarin classes, the five clubs collaborating to make this lunchtime event happen are the Asian American Student Union (AASU), the Chinese Culture Club, the English for Chinese Tutoring Club, the Korean Culture Club, and the Taiwanese Student Association. Each club will set up booths in the quad with activities unique to their own cultures.
The activities of each club’s booth are listed below.
Korean Culture Club: Gonggi
The Korean Culture Club will be hosting gonggi, a fast-paced Korean game in which players toss and catch small pebble-like objects in an increasingly difficult pattern. This test of coordination can win players prizes if they complete the challenge.
Chinese Culture Club: Red Envelopes and Dumplings
The Chinese Culture Club will distribute envelopes filled with treats, and serve dumplings. A staple tradition of the holiday, the red envelope is a symbol of luck and good fortune.
English for Chinese Tutoring: Calligraphy
Featuring brushes and ink, the English for Chinese Tutoring Club will provide students with an opportunity to practice calligraphy, an art form tied to Chinese traditions.
AASU: Bầu cua cá cọp
AASU will host Bầu cua cá cọp — a traditional Vietnamese dice game often played during Lunar New Year celebrations. Those interested can test their luck and lose or win candy in the process.
Taiwanese Student Association: Hotpot
The Taiwanese Student Association plans to serve hotpot, a beloved soup-based dish perfect for sharing.
Beyond the booths, the festival will also feature live performances. Starting from 12:55 p.m., students can expect traditional music pieces from Chamber Symphony Orchestra club members, a guzheng performance from senior Abby Zhou, and a series of dances from the Mandarin classes.
These dances include the Chinese yo-yo and two traditional Chinese dances — the Dragon Dance and Lion Dance — which are intended to bring good fortune.
“I don’t celebrate Lunar New Year, but I feel like participating in other cultures gives you a more diverse experience of the world,” participant of the Dragon Dance sophomore Rishi Khandelwal said
Besides the Friday festivities, all of the Mandarin classes have performances in which the students will sing and dance. A video of these students will be shared with the school on Friday morning.
“By hosting this festival and inviting so many other students and staff and just anybody who is curious to come and try out a few snacks or play some games, they become a part of something larger than themselves,” Simona said.
