Wishing Cal High a year filled with luck, the Chinese class students celebrated the Year of the Monkey by bringing Chinese New Year festivities to campus.

Students across all levels of Cal’s Chinese classes performed a variety of acts on stage on Feb. 19 during lunch in the quad. This was the second consecutive year that Chinese New Year celebration activities have been performed on campus.

Chinese New Year, also referred to as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is widely celebrated among Eastern Asians and has become, over the years, a worldwide celebration known for its lion dances, firecrackers and festive parades.

“In China, Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important holiday of the year,” said sophomore Justin Lin.

Students of the Chinese courses sang “The Moon Represents My Heart” by Teresa Teng, followed up by a performance of their own revised choreography of “Little Apple” by Chopstick Brothers.

“Hannah Proctor and I choreographed parts of the ‘Little Apple’ dance. It was so silly, but we all had a great time,” sophomore Catherine Meng said. “Hannah and I taught the others the dance moves. It was a lot of work, and when Friday came closer and closer, we started practicing on stage in the quad with music and worked on our formations.”

Talented students also showed off their Chinese yo-yo and kung fu skills. Cal alumnus Jason Yee joined the kung fu performers as they demonstrated various skilled moves with the use of the traditional-fist, kamas, and the traditional straight sword.

“I’ve been in kung fu since I was five, and go through a gauntlet of Chinese New Year lion dances and performances every year,” said senior James Dumlao.

On the sides of the stage, adults and students wrote Chinese names or red banners with lucky words in calligraphy.

“I learned a lot about the holiday in general, like how the Chinese believe that you can’t cut your hair on the holiday or else you’re chopping off your good luck,” said freshman Mandy Liu.

The Chinese classes were also able to celebrate the new year through learning about  symbolic traditional Chinese foods while also enjoying a hot pot party during class.

“Chinese New Year is a celebration where the whole family gets together like a family reunion, which is a crucial part,” said Chinese teacher Winnie Wang.

For many, the new year is a time when families come together from near and far.

“I think my favorite part about celebrating Chinese New Year, is just getting together with family and friends and having a great time catching up with each other,” said Meng.

Another project by the Chinese classes included creating red banners, which were placed on nearly every door at Cal.

“With our Chinese III class, we learned about the tradition and roots of Chinese calligraphy,” said junior Cecelia Freeman.

Students practiced their calligraphy in class by writing lucky words on slips of red banners which were shared with the whole school to bring luck to every room and scare away evil.

“I believe the cultural part is a very important part of learning a language,” said Wang.

For the considerably large Asian population at Cal and in the Bay Area, specifically those of Chinese or Eastern Asian backgrounds, Chinese New Year is a way for many people to connect with their heritage and roots.

“My family and I celebrate Chinese New Year and we really do enjoy each other’s presence,” said sophomore Leqi Zeng. “For us, it’s a time where we can spend with each other, as in most days, we can’t because of school and work.”

The Lunar New Year is widely celebrated across the globe, allowing Chinese and other East Asian cultures to unite with their family and take pleasure in the company of one another.

“I hoped to promote cultural awareness,” said Wang. “When we know another different culture, we will have more tolerance and appreciate the different cultures, bringing the peace to the whole school, to the community, and to the world.”