Under health guidelines, students celebrate Lunar New Year online

Lunar New Year will likely involve fewer seats at the dinner table this year as students face travel restrictions amid the pandemic.

The 15-day celebration marks the first full moon of the Lunar calendar and is typically a busy period for travel as families reunite.

However, public health restrictions have banned non-essential travel and social gatherings of any size outside of the immediate household. The Chinese government has also discouraged travel for this year’s Lunar New Year.

For fourth-year kinesiology student Natasha Ng, her Lunar New Year holiday will involve celebrating with her core bubble in Vancouver since she lives alone.

“Usually, I would be back in my hometown to celebrate with friends and family as well as practicing our cultural traditions such as visiting different households and receiving ang bao [red pockets], as well as stuffing ourselves with tons of Chinese new year goodies like kuih bangkit, pineapple tarts, bak kwa, kuih bahulu — something you can’t find here in Vancouver,” said Ng.

Like other celebrations that have taken a virtual spin, Ng is looking forward to connecting with her family and friends back in Singapore through FaceTime calls.

“It definitely won’t be the same as back in Singapore but my friends and I have tried to keep it fun and safe during this pandemic.”

Ng encouraged students to not miss out on the festivities of Lunar New Year but reiterated the importance of following the provincial guidelines such as sticking to your core bubble, physical distancing and wearing a mask.

On the other hand, for student clubs at UBC that thrive on celebrating Asian culture and its holidays, the pandemic has presented both challenges and opportunities for growth.

“Of course all our in person events have been cancelled, including our huge Lunar New Year collaboration with HKYours, HKSA, TA, JA, and UNIK,” said Sabrina Ouyang, co-president of the UBC Chinese Students Association (CSA), in a message to The Ubyssey. “This one is a huge bummer since it’s always been so fun to host but it’s been cancelled two years in a row now due to the pandemic.”

Instead, the CSA worked with new clubs to hold events including a video game tournament with the UBC ESports Association and a virtual yoga class with Sauder Sports and the UBC Yoga Club.

Ouyang still plans for the CSA to celebrate Lunar New Year by co-hosting a live-streamed gala with CSAs from other universities.

“Students’ safety is our top priority and we’re just looking forward to the day that we’ll be able to host in-person events again,” she said.

As for herself, Ouyang plans on celebrating at home with family and making calls to loved ones to wish them a happy Lunar New Year.

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