A national celebration and a time for anticipations of Reunion, Rest, and Restart. Community Assistant, Sijie Mou, explains some of the traditions of Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, has a rich history dating back over 3,000 years. Its origins can be traced to ancient agrarian societies in China, where the festival marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring, symbolizing the start of a new agricultural cycle. The significance of Chinese New Year in Chinese culture is multifaceted. It is a time for family reunions, taking a cozy rest, paying respects to ancestors, and ushering in good luck and prosperity for the coming year. The festival is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese beliefs and customs, including the importance of auspicious symbols, the practice of giving red envelopes containing money (hongbao), and the enjoyment of festive foods.

I believe Chinese New Year means a lot to every Chinese in various ways. For me, every New Year was combined with anticipation – I was looking forward to meeting my grandparents in the countryside, making glutinous rice balls, smoked sausages, and other traditional food with my mother, writing the Spring Festival couplets and hiking with my dad, and setting off fireworks with my sisters and brothers. Of course, I also expected to get the red envelopes and use the money to buy gifts for myself. The memory of these times is always beautiful.

The TJM Graduate School 2023 Chinese New Year Celebrations

Anyway, as an international student who is far away from my hometown, it is difficult for me to take a long holiday for an international trip to celebrate the Chinese New Year with my family this year. I understand that this can be a strongly homesick stage for many students who are in a similar situation. Fortunately, Queen’s has a vibrant and close-knit Chinese community, and I believe organizing a celebration can help alleviate homesickness and provide a sense of belonging for those unable to celebrate with their families. The Thomas J. Moran Graduate School has consistently demonstrated its support for international students, which is a perfect place to facilitate an event that fosters cultural exchange and community building and an ideal venue for postgraduate students to come together and celebrate Chinese New Year. Thus, I applied for a Postgraduate-led Initiative for Chinese New Year in the Graduate School.

The Thomas J. Moran Graduate School Festival of Chinese New Year focuses on the ' taste of Chinese Culture and Food', which is friendly for both Chinese and non-Chinese. Our goal is to make the Chinese feel like they are at home and to help non-Chinese know more about Chinese culture and food. Therefore, we design five workshops including themes of (1) Chinese Tea Ceremony and a Taste of Tea Refreshments, (2) A Try of Chinese Brush Calligraphy, (3) Chinese Style Papercut Workshop, (4) A Try of Chopsticks, and (5) Live music Performances: Guzheng and Erhu.

Why not come to join us for a celebration filled with cultural exploration, food tasting, hands-on activities, and delightful performances? Why not come to join us for feeling reunion, rest, and restart and the sense of anticipation for the New Year? Let’s welcome the Year of the Dragon together!

To celebrate the Chinese New Year I have organised a PGLI which involves some fun, traditional Chinese activities. Students can enjoy a Chinese Tea Ceremony and tasting session. For a long time, growing, making, brewing, and tasting tea have been seen as special skills. In modern times, started by the Chinese, these skills have come to be known as tea art. Tea art in China is a special way to drink tea that turns the simple act of drinking tea into a lovely art form. It takes people through a series of detailed steps, leading them to a peaceful and calm state where they forget about themselves. Participants will enjoy an authentic tea ceremony and taste several different species of Chinese tea.

There will be Chinese Calligraphy and a Chinese Style Papercut Workshop. Chinese brush calligraphy has grown into a beautiful art form that shows the writer's ideas, feelings, and soul. It has the power to evoke aesthetic emotions in those who appreciate it. Chinese calligraphy deeply and beautifully shows what Chinese culture is all about, capturing the spirit of China in a delicate and graceful way. Studying Chinese calligraphy helps us see the lively heart of Chinese culture and the strong, lasting national spirit that the art of calligraphy carries.

Our workshop is designed to offer a hands-on experience, where participants can uncover the symbolism and storytelling embedded in each cut and witness the fusion of history and creativity as they create their own personalized papercut masterpieces.

Finally students can challenge their dexterity and finesses with chopsticks, and enjoy traditional Chinese Music Performances featuring the Chinese guzheng. The Chinese guzheng is a traditional stringed musical instrument with a history spanning over 2,500 years. The guzheng, introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty, evolved into the koto, reflecting Japanese musical styles. In Korea, historical records show that the guzheng inspired the creation of the gayageum during the Silla Dynasty, later adapted to Korean musical traditions.