Oak Park and River Forest High School put on a festive celebration for Lunar New Year in the commons on Friday, Feb. 16. The event was sponsored by the Pan Asian Leadership Society (PALS) and Chinese Club, which provide a welcoming environment for Asian students and allies to come hang out and celebrate their culture. 

Lunar New Year is a prominent holiday in many Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore and Japan. The holiday takes place during the first moon of the lunar calendar and lasts 15 days until the arrival of the full moon. 

The traditions vary between each culture but some common customs include family dinners, games, decorating and dressing with the color red to signify good fortune and joy. Senior Faith Lee, public relations officer for PALS, described how in Korean culture, “We bow to our elders to show respect. And the younger kids receive money.” 

During the Oak Park and River Forest celebration there were a variety of booths with different games to play such as Jian Zi, the Chinese name for Hacky Sack, and Bao Cua, a Vietnamese gambling game. Traditional music was played, and there was a special dance a student put on with a beautifully crafted dragon head. 

Each year is associated with one out of 12 animals correlated with the lunar calendar and 2024 is the year of the dragon. 

On top of planning the Lunar New Year celebration, both PALS and Chinese club tackle many other important tasks in the building. Lee and senior Jae Casto, co-president of PALS, said once a month the group holds equity talks about topics such as stereotypes and how the club can make a difference for the community. “PALS really helped me kind of accept who I am,” Casto said.

The Asian population in the school is relatively low at about 3%, and clubs like PALS and Chinse club can help students find a sense of community, she added.