Chinese New Year is a holiday typically celebrated in the months of January or February to mark the beginning of a new year with new goals and new beginnings. This holiday, also known as Lunar New Year, is most commonly celebrated by Asians, specifically Chinese communities, but is also celebrated by other cultures. It’s actually an official holiday in the state of California, but many people don’t know about this development because students are not given time off for this holiday.

Chinese New Year is a holiday that many people look forward to, from receiving red envelopes to eating delicious food to gathering with loved ones to putting up the highly anticipated decorations around the house filled with Chinese sayings and the color red. Chinese New Year is no doubt important in similar and different ways to the thousands of students here at Arcadia High School, especially with the diversity of cultures that exist in this school.

“Chinese New Year certainly holds a lot of significance; not just for the Chinese families and Chinese students, but also for the Asians and other communities because it’s a way for us to show our culture and a way for other people to learn about our culture,” expressed senior Hayden Wong. 

Similarly, sophomore Isabella Jiang stated, “It’s important because for Asians it’s a really big part of our culture.”

Although not a school holiday but an official state holiday, the views of students on Chinese New Year are worth noting.

“I think it’s a good way for us to share our culture because Asian Americans certainly hold a very important stage in American history,” Wong commented.

“It’s cool because it’s Chinese representation,” Jiang stated.

Chinese New Year is definitely a holiday that students highly anticipate and find enjoyable for both similar and different reasons. 

“I look forward to the food and family the most,” said Jiang.

“I look forward the most to spending time with family, and also receiving red pockets or red envelopes; as well as looking back to the past year and kind of cleaning up and starting a new year with new goals,” mentioned Wong.

Chinese New Year may not be an official school holiday; but if made one, it would be significant and important to many students as a way to destress from school and celebrate this joyous occasion.

Photo by Jason Leung