The year 2025 started for many people on Jan. 1, but there are some cultures that instead choose to follow the lunar calendar, which follows the moon phases, as opposed to the traditional monthly one. Many countries such as China, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, host celebrations that bring in the new year based on these phases. This celebration is known as the Lunar New Year.
The CWU Korean Culture Club (KCC) is currently hard at work preparing to put on their own Lunar New Year celebration here on campus. CWU KCC President, Emily Weishaar said that, “Planning Lunar New Year has definitely been an experience I’ve never had to go through before. The event is going to be pretty big, so it’s literally like being an event planner on top of having a full-time class load on top of a part-time job.”
Vice President Misty Mayorquin, said that the process has been, “Overall a bit stressful but fun. It’s nice to see everything slowly coming together… There is so much that goes into planning that I was not aware of before. It was a learning experience for sure.”
KCC has also made sure to make this event as entertaining as they can. Weishaar said that they “Have some exciting performances lined up for the night. Including K-Pop dance covers, piano performances and singing performances to traditional Korean songs.”
Weishaar and Mayorquin were working hard in the months leading up to this event, scouting out people who may be interested in doing some kind of performance relating back to Korean culture, as well as gathering games for attendees to participate in throughout the night. “We wanted the environment to be fun and a way for families and students to connect and have a good time. Lunar New Year is a special holiday for many people and we wanted to give a space to celebrate,” Mayorquin said.
This event means a lot to both Weishaar and Mayorquin. While both are not Korean themselves, this turned into a passion project for the two. Both Weishaar and Mayorquin are Korean studies minors and through their involvement in this program and with KCC, have made many friends and connections with international students here at CWU.
“I’m most excited to give international students and community members a safe place to celebrate the holiday,” Weishaar said. “Ultimately, the event is for them.” The pair is dedicated to making CWU a home to the international students, while also educating other students about the cultures that these students come from.
Lunar New Year is an event open to all students and community members around Ellensburg. The event will be held on Jan. 30 from 6-8 p.m. in the SURC ballroom with the prices being $5 for students and $7 for others wishing to come participate in the festivities. The event will have food from locally Asian owned businesses with many performances and games for the public to enjoy.
