University of Kentucky students and families celebrated the 2025 Lunar New Year by showcasing Chinese culture with traditional dances, a solo, games, art pieces and food.
The traditions are kept vivid with the drum beat and the color red representing happiness, youth, good luck and prosperity, according to Cheryl Pan, Kentucky Arts Council dance artist.
The event was hosted by the Chinese Club, Asia/Asian American Society and Asian Women’s Alliance (AAA) in Patterson Hall on Thursday, Feb. 6.
The celebration counted with the collaborative help from Kentucky Chinese American Association (KYCAA), UK Chinese Program and Global Asias.
“I think this event really sheds light and gives Chinese Americans, especially at UK, who may have not know the culture, to kind of figure out if they like it or if it’s for them,” Taasha Gobynath, a UK sophomore majoring in animal science and AAA intern Taasha Gobynath, said.
Grace Yi, a UK sophomore majoring in history and sociology and president of the Chinese club, said the Lunar New Year is also known as Chinese New Year, which marks the beginning of the lunar calendar.
“It’s a huge reunion around this time in China,” Yi said. “Everyone just comes together. They all eat a bunch of food, they all celebrate with firecrackers.”
Gobynath said that at UK, a predominantly white institution, she doesn’t see many people who look like her and this event was important for representation.
“We have a Nepali member in triple-A and we were making dumplings, and she showed us a Nepali way to make dumplings,” Gobynath said. “I thought that was super cool, how we can connect Chinese culture like ‘Hey, Nepalis also have their own version of dumplings.’”
Gobynath said people would be more open-minded if they “saw the world” by looking at different cultures.
According to Yi, people can sometimes be fed narratives about groups of people that are not as accurate as they could be. She gave the example of blaming Chinese people for COVID-19.
Throughout the event, Yi said she hoped to spread the message that there is an Asian community in Kentucky and they are there for each other.
“We are showing that minorities have a place here, and we are here taking space. We have thoughts, we have our own traditions and cultures that people need to listen to,” Gobynath said. “We will not be silenced.”
Yi said President Trump’s executive orders have targeted and criminalized minorities.
“Diversity is not something to be criminalized, this is something that we should celebrate,” Yi said. “It creates community and innovation.”
With traditional Chinese music and clothes, the members of KYCAA performed celebration dances, according to Changzheng Wang, KYCAA committee chair for organization events.
Wang said the dancers were wearing fancy and colorful costumes to celebrate and represent excitement for the new year.
In the final dance performance, UK students and families joined KYCAA dancers. Listening to the music “Drunken Butterfly,” they learned the Chinese Square Dance, also known as guangchangwu.
“This is a perfect opportunity for the student to learn (about) the Chinese culture and what we do in a Chinese New Year celebration,” Peter Yuan KYCAA president said.
