The University of Michigan’s Center for Campus Involvement hosted a Lunar New Year celebration Friday evening as part of its UMix series at Pierpont Commons. The event featured a wide range of activities, such as paper lantern making, cultural food sampling, dragon dancing lessons and a themed escape room. Additionally, students had the chance to collaborate with the Origami Club to create paper designs.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Daniella Acosta, Social Work student and CCI intern, emphasized the significance of hosting events on nights where students may be feeling stressed or lonely.
“UMix hosts biweekly events that are open to all students and free,” Acosta said. “They’re usually Friday nights, just because that’s like a high-risk night. So these events are a place for students who maybe don’t want to go out to come meet people and have fun… The critical times of the semester, during midterms or finals, that’s when I kind of hear the majority of students with good feedback.”
Anika Nayegandhi, Business junior and coordinator of Lunar New Year UMix, explained that there was limited club involvement in previous years, but this year they prioritized collaborations with cultural student organizations such as the origami club, which played a prominent role in this year’s celebration.
“This year, we’ve made more of an effort to showcase different student groups,” Nayegandhi said. “They don’t have to buy the materials. We can sponsor, so it helps them gain exposure without costing them money.”
Ross student Chang Wang highlighted how the event bridged cultural gaps while providing comfort for students far from home.
“The event lets more students know about Chinese New Year,” Wang said. “I think it’s also a way to help people learn more about the culture. During the festival, we definitely feel some homesickness, and this helps with that.”
From crafting red envelopes to trying their hand at dragon dancing, attendees engaged in activities that highlighted the diverse traditions associated with the Lunar New Year.
Rackham student Yueyao Zhang told The Daily the escape room and collaborative projects provided opportunities for students to connect with peers from various backgrounds.
“We also got to meet some new friends here from the escape room and from the dragon dancing,” Zhang said. “With different students from different countries, it’s not something you can get at other universities. I believe that’s super unique.”
Nayegandhi explained the event aimed to go beyond mere exposure to Lunar New Year traditions.
“I think the intent was not to educate, but expose people to different cultures,” Nayegandhi said. “Lunar New Year, especially now, has become a little bit more mainstream, but, just so people know what really goes into the Lunar New Year event and what it really is. We’re showcasing different aspects, from the food, to the dragon performance and the red envelopes.”
Daily Staff Reporter Anna Pierson can be reached at annapie@umich.edu.
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