On the evening February 6, over 150 community members gathered at The Hamlin School to celebrate Asian Lunar New Year with home-cooked food (including a full pig) and festive cheer. The uplift and positive energy was palpable, with laughter ringing out in all directions. This event was hosted by our PLAID parent group.

PLAID’s mission is to support a vibrant and inclusive environment in which all members of the community can celebrate their authentic selves.

In communities around the world, the Lunar New Year is the most important and most festive holiday of the year. Through centuries of agrarian tradition, this was the one period when farmers could rest from their work in the fields. Family members from near and far would travel to be with loved ones in time to usher out the old year and welcome in the new, with great celebratory flourish. Today, all over the world, during what is often commonly referred to as the Spring Festival, passenger trains, buses, and river boats are packed with holiday travelers; shops do a flurry of business selling gifts, new clothes, and festive foods; kitchens are bustling with preparations for elaborate feasts; and streets are filled with the sounds of firecrackers and seasonal greetings.

Lunar New Year is celebrated in countries and territories such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, and Thailand (among others).  

Participants at our celebration watched a traditional lion dance, played Mahjong, and made crafts. Everyone enjoyed handmade fortune cookies with messages created by Grade 3 students. Parents also shared heartfelt words, expressing what Lunar New Year means to their families.