Campus celebrates Chinese New Year

Posted: February 12, 2013 11:00 a.m.

Students enjoying free doughnuts at the Chinese New Year celebration in the Riddell Center on February 8. Photo: UR International

Chinese New Year is the most important and, at 15 days, the longest celebrated holiday in China. It begins on the first day of the lunar calendar and is also called Lunar New Year.  Considered to be the beginning of spring, the Chinese New Year has another name, the Spring Festival or Chun Jie in Chinese. Celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival varies from area to area, but they all have a common theme; “to see off the old and welcome the new”.

On campus the celebrations were kicked off with the Chinese Students and Scholars Association’s (CSSA) New Year event on February 2, attended by more than 500 university students, faculty members and community members.

Another campus-wide New Year celebration took place in the Riddell Center on February 8. People enjoyed lion dances, Chinese performances, doughnuts, and a surprise gift. 

On February 9, the Regina Chinese Canadian Association (RCCA) in cooperation with the Confucius Institute at the University of Regina hosted the 2013 New Year banquet at the Delta Hotel.

The UR International office and the Confucius Institute work to build a strong and diverse international community on campus, leading these celebrations is part of that commitment. More than 800 Chinese students and 30 Chinese visiting scholars currently call the University of Regina home.