Chinese New Year Celebration

The Student Union Theater was draped in traditional Chinese d?(c)cor on Sunday night as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) hosted an event meant to highlight the unique rituals and traditions associated with the Chinese New Year.

The theater stage was adorned in red diamond shaped decorations with "Huan Du Chun Jia" written in Mandarin. According to members of the CSSA, these symbols are portrayed every Chinese New Year and were very familiar to the audience which was mainly comprised of individuals of Chinese heritage.

The color red was also a consistent theme in the celebration; the color symbolizes beauty and happiness and it is also used to keep evil away from the New Year.

"The symbols on the backdrop of the stage mean that we are celebrating the New Year and because the symbols are turned upside down in the shape of a diamond, it means that fortune is arriving this New Year," said Min Shi, a graduate student studying business.

The CSSA invited organizations from around Buffalo as well as students and scholars from UB to the event.

Some student association participants were the Ballroom Dance Club, and the African Student Association. Members of the Chinese Christian Church from the Buffalo community stopped in to lend their support.

According to Sheng Jun Yuan, the president of the CSSA, the Chinese New Year celebration is the most important festival in the Chinese culture and the performers who participated in the celebration were much liked by the audience members because they captured the importance and heritage of this rich cultural celebration.

"The show was great because it showed culture and tradition and it is also wonderful that we invited members of the Buffalo community as well as students from UB organizations," said Shi.

Among the variety of entertainment, audiences enjoyed ballroom dancing and traditional African dance.

But it was the traditional Chinese dances that incorporated bright, detailed costumes and props that kept the audience enthralled.

A group of six female performers enacted a dance that incorporated the aspects of Tai Chi, a martial arts discipline similar to Kung Fu, by using large red fans to enhance the intricate movements.

"The fan dance is a very beautiful thing to see because it depicts Tai Chi and the combination of balance, beauty, and power that are associated with it," said Shi.

Along with the beautiful dances, there were also various familiar songs that were performed by members of the CSSA as well as the Buffalo Chinese Christian Church.

"There were a lot of songs that were sung that are really well known and mostly associated with the Chinese New Year," said Shi. "The song that the large group of participants sang at the end of the show was a well-known tune sung in China every New Year."

Although the majority of performances were by adults, age was not an issue when it came to beautiful portrayals of Chinese heritage. Members of Chinese Club of Western New York participated in the celebrations by incorporating children, aged four to seven in the show.

Gordon Snow, a Buffalo resident and father of a young performer, said the children are the least moved by the pressures of performance.

"These kids have been practicing since the summer and for some reason it always seems to be that the parents get nervous, not the kids," said Snow laughing.

According to Yuan, the event was intended to bring a celebration of an important happening in Chinese culture to Buffalo.

According to many who attended, the show was successful in its goal.

"I am Vietnamese but I still thought this was a great cultural experience," said Cuong Nguyen, a junior art history major. "I think there was a lot of talent on stage tonight and it showed a great sense of pride in the heritage."