The 2025 Lunar New Year that began on January 29, marking the Year of the Snake was met with celebration at the College of Staten Island.

For the first time ever, students were granted the day off from classes on the 29th as a part of four new holidays added to the CUNY academic calendar. The next day on campus, the CSI community officially held a  Lunar New Year celebration, one that featured the wonderful Lion Dance performance for the first time at CSI since 2012. The celebration was opened by Director of Special Programs and Initiatives at the Center for Global Engagement Winnie Brophy and Professor Chao Li of the World Language and Literatures Department. In the Campus Center’s Green Dolphin Lounge, performers from the Shaolin Kung Fu Temple dressed in lion costumes pranced around the crowd while students and faculty stood enthralled by the charming dance.

The dance performance was one of the most vibrant parts of the celebration, but was one of many moments in the GDL that brought everyone in the building together in celebration of the new year. Rhythmic drums and clashing cymbals gave a graceful and energetic charge to the event as the crowd watched. The dance is a common celebration for the Lunar New Year, usually heard and seen as traditional fireworks take place.

After the celebration, Brophy mentioned how well the event went. A slew of activities and opportunities made possible by faculty and students from the Chinese Program of the Department of World Languages and Literatures, members of the Asian American Pacific Islanders Club (AAPI), and mentors from New Student Orientation, made the event a memorable and joyful success. The club entertained attendees with many activities including a chopstick marble challenge, origami, traditional art crafting, Chinese riddles, and free food that was really enjoyed by all. Participants also learned about the Chinese Program, study abroad opportunities, the Peace Corps Prep Program, and monthly social events offered by the Center for Global Engagement, like the International Coffee Hour, where students from a wide range of countries get together and learn about one another’s cultures.

“The event was much better than expected as this is the first time we had the Lion Dance back on campus and this was a very elaborate celebration of the Lunar New Year—not only celebrated in the Chinese community but also celebrated by Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, and other Asian cultures,” said Brophy.

There was also a calligraphy table that was mastered by Professor Xiaoling Dong from World Languages and Literatures and a CSI Chinese program student named Cuilin Liu, which was as beautiful as the music and Lion Dance. Demonstrators at the table used brushes, ink, and other painting materials to create a clever learning experience in Chinese writing.

Professor Li introduced a traditional dice game. “It’s a guessing game in which two players eachhold a cup with three dice. They shake their cups at the same time and look at their own dice but not at each other’s dice. Based on what you have and what the other player might have, you make a bid. The other player can only increase the bid. The bidding continues until the total seems fabricated and one of the players says ‘Open’ and has the chance to ask for a reveal.,” said Professor Li. Professor Pei-Ying Shen from the Department of World Languages and Literatures monitored the game and students had so much fun.

As I walked around the GDL, each table was an oasis of good energy, with students and faculty conversing and supporting each other, and sharing memories as a community. The Lunar New Year event was definitely a great place to relieve some stress as we anticipate the start of a new semester.

Thanks to the collaboration among thee East Asian Studies Program; the Philosophy Department; the Verrazzano Honors Program, and especially the Department of World Languages and Literatures and the Center of Global Engagement, as well as the Campus Activity Board who funded this program, the Lunar New Year celebration brought back the enchantment of the Lion Dance and so many other wonderful activities. It is hoped that there will be many more to come in the future.

By Kyle Cicero