BY CHERILYN PURSEL, Online Reporter

The SURC Ballroom was packed wall-to-wall to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year on Thursday night.

The event was filled with people of all ages, and from all different backgrounds, who learned about Chinese culture while enjoying some authentic Chinese cuisine.

“I want to learn about the culture of China, and I’m also really excited for the food,” said Spanish major Cesar Apaez.

While the crowd was waiting for the event to begin, there were tables set up where names could be printed on a card in Chinese and attendees could create their own dumplings.

This wasn’t the first time philosophy and Spanish major Sergio Madrid has attended the event, and every time has been a new learning experience for him.

“This really is a cultural awareness event, and it shows us Asian and Chinese culture a bit more, and I feel like I learn every time I come here,” Madrid said.

To entertain the crowd while they feasted, there was an assortment of Chinese performances that varied from traditional dance numbers, to delightful musical numbers.

For Spanish and psychology major Estrella Cardenas, it was an opportunity to satisfy her curiosity about Chinese culture.

“From coming back from my study abroad term over in Guadalajara, I actually met a lot of Chinese,” Cardenas said. “And, being that we were in Mexico, they learned a lot about our culture. So out of respect to them I wanted to come here and see what I could learn about their culture as well.”