Madison Martin-Sadler
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Vinh Tran’s drum echoed throughout the Richardson Ballroom, as many people from Winthrop University community and others came out to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a night filled with music, dance and traditional food.

The event celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse was held Feb. 19, although the new year officially began Feb. 17.

“The lion dance is a cultural tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Tran, a performer from Queen City Lion Dance, which helped host the event.

“Really what it is, the performers embody the lion costume and our goal is to spread the good fortune and spread the tradition of the lion dance,’’ Tran said, who is a Vietnamese American.

The DiGiorgio Student Union (DSU) organized the celebration and partnered with Queen City Lion Dance, the Cambodian Legacy Project and the Winthrop Asian American Pacific Islander Organization (AAPI).

Those in attendance were given red envelopes, which are traditionally placed inside the lion costumes for joy and good fortune.

The Lunar New Year, sometimes called the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, dates its origins to roughly 3,500 years ago during the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC). However, the Lunar New Year is more inclusive to include many Asian communities around the world who celebrate it.

Thomas Nguyen, a Vietnamese lion dancer, said his family often has a large party on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

“We all get together, there are a total of eight families together, so the total is 60 people in one house, and we’re all there about the night prior,” Nguyen said.

“We’re getting ready, everyone is wearing red or as much red and yellow as they can to bring the good fortune. We’re cooking food, we have food on the altar for the elders to bless us for the New Year,” he said.

Guests were served a selection of foods like spring rolls and dumplings, which represent wealth and prosperity, and vegetables, which represent abundance.

The Cambodian Legacy Project, a Charlotte non-profit group founded by Kaovny Jonas and Kim Lam, brought a team of young dancers who perform to honor their heritage.

One young dancer named Lucy, said her family often celebrates the new year by burning incense.

“For my Cambodian heritage we do the Cambodian New Year, where we (serve) a hot pot and it’s really fun and then we do the incense,’’ Lucy said.

The Year of the Fire Horse occurs once every 60 years.