Far away from home and missing the traditions and times they are used to spending with friends and family who are miles away, the Chinese New Year is a way for some students to celebrate together and share their culture.

As the Chinese New Year approaches, many Asian international students will be celebrating a time they usually spend at home with their loved ones.

Shin-Heng Chang, graduate student in journalism and mass communication and president of the Taiwan Student Association, said this celebration is very important to the members of his club and other Asian international students across campus as they look for meaning in this celebration that reminds them of home.

“We are far from our home. We are far from our friends and family, but we are from the same country so we can use this time to be together. I think that’s the meaning to us,” Chang said.

Chang said the Chinese New Year celebration is similar to the Christmas holiday and the traditions American students have to celebrate it.

“It’s a time that the family gathers together from different places of the country. We will have a feast that is very big and will eat at a round table — it has been a tradition for many years,” Chang said.

Although this is a traditional event for some Asian international students, Chang said his association’s event is open to all students as well as the Ames community and would be a good way to learn about their culture.

“I think that since we are here, we are not just learning or studying and we are not just getting resources from ISU.  We are also trying to show ourselves to American people,” Chang said. “We play a role in ISU’s campus and we really want to introduce our culture and our characteristics to America.”

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association’s Chinese New Year Celebration planned by head director, Yang Zhou, postdoctoral research associate in food science and human nutrition – human sciences, and co-directors Lezhi Wu, junior in biochemistry  and Long Wang, freshman in math, is an event also open to everyone.

Wu said her association’s event is also a way to show Americans some of the history and traditions of China.

“We are celebrating China as a whole — this is just one event that will reflect it as a whole,” Wu said. “In America, this is a way to reflect what China is.”

The Taiwan Student Association’s celebration will include traditional Taiwanese food and two traditional performances, a Lion Dance and a performance with the guzheng, a stringed instrument. They will also play two short films, related to the Chinese or Asian culture, Chang said.

The dance, Chang said, is a way to find good fortune at the beginning of the year.

“It’s a symbol of fortune and gets rid of the evil.  It will help greet fortune of the coming year,” Chang said.

The CSSA’s celebration will have many performances that are both traditional and related to Chinese pop culture, Wu said.

“This is going to basically be a night of performance — a lot of people will sing traditional and classic songs and pop culture songs,” Wu said, explaining that other performances will include a sword fight, stand-up comedy and drama. Wu said students are still submitting their talents to perform at the event.

These events, and other celebrations of the Chinese New Year, are a way to show American students what their culture and their traditions are all about, Chang said.

“That’s what we want to exhibit, our Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year characteristics to international students or other American students about the Chinese people,” Chang said.

Thanks to the new Chinese students who have come to Iowa State this past fall and this spring, Wu said their group has gained more opportunities to give other students and the Ames community a taste of their culture and talents.

“We have a lot more opportunities to show our culture to Americans and to show [our association] to the new Chinese students,” Wu said. “Those are talents that require years of practice and training, and we are very lucky to have people to share them.”

The Events:

Lunar New Year Party

When: Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Where: North Grand Christian Church

30th St. and Roy Key Ave., right behind Wal-Mart

What: A celebration of the Chinese New Year sponsored by the Taiwanese Student Association

Cost: Member – free, non-member – $6

Chinese New Year Celebration

When: Jan. 31, dinner 4:30 to 7 p.m., performance 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Where: Food served at St. Thomas Aquinas and the University Lutheran Center, performance in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union

What: Multiple performances in celebration of the Chinese New Year Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

Cost: Member – free, non-member – $8

History of the Chinese New Year

The origins of the Chinese New Year celebrations were born from fear and myth. Legend spoke of the wild beast Nien — also the word for “year” — who appeared at the end of each year, attacking and killing villagers. To scare the beast away, loud noises and bright lights were used and thus the Chinese New Year celebrations were born.

Information from the History Channel, www.history.com/minisites/chinesenewyear/ 

Symbols associated with the Chinese New Year

Dragon: The dragon is present in many Chinese cultural celebrations, as the Chinese people often think of themselves as descendants of the mythical creature. On the fifth day of the New Year when many people have to start going back to work, they will also have the dancing dragons perform in the front of office buildings. On the 15th day of the New Year — Yuan Xiao Jie — they will also have a lot of dancing dragon performances. The dragon represents prosperity, good luck and good fortune.

Red envelopes: Called ‘hong bao’ in Mandarin, the red envelopes filled with money are typically only given to children or unmarried, unemployed adults. If you’re single, working and making money, you still have to give the younger ones hong bao. The color red denotes good luck, fortune, happiness and abundance in the Chinese culture and is often worn or used for decoration in other celebrations.

Information from the History Channel, www.history.com/content/chinesenewyear/traditions-and-symbols