Event

Lunar New Year virtual event

Date(s):
-
Audience:
Students
Staff
Campus:
Virtual


 

A silhouette of a red ox stands on a white background with text overlain saying "Lunar New Year celebrations begin Thursday, Feb. 11. It's the year of the Ox"

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is celebrated in Singapore, Chinese regions, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Mauritius, as well as many countries in North America and Europe. People celebrate over 15 days, beginning with the first full moon after Jan. 20 and ending with the following new moon. This year, the Lunar New Year will be celebrated on Feb. 12 as we usher in the Year of the Ox.

Starting Feb. 11, join us online for cooking lessons, activities, and a walk down our OC memory lane. Share a photo of how you celebrated the Lunar New Year this year or in year’s past and you could win a prize! Some ideas for posts: how you decorated your home, food you made, a photo of your completed lantern from our craft below. Contest will run on Instagram from Feb. 11-25 and you must use #okgnOCLunarNewYear.

Looking back at Lunar New Year celebrations

Lunar New Year in pictures

Lunar New Year 2021

Take a walk down the OC memory lane with past Lunar New Year celebrations!

Dragon dance

Blast from the past! OC was pleased to welcome Mr. Lee from the Chinese Free Masons society at the Kelowna campus for many years, performing the traditional dragon dance. The dragon dance is performed at Lunar New Year celebrations to express gratitude to the dragon, long believed to be good luck to the Chinese people. The dragon dance was first performed to appease the dragon and release rain onto the land as the dragon is believed to control rainfall.

Lunar New Year traditions

Watch OC students and staff share Lunar New Year greetings and traditions.

DIY paper lanterns

Pull out your used red envelopes and join Karen from OC's International Department to make an upcycled lantern.

Chinese steamed buns

In Chinese culture, Baozi, or steamed buns, are very popular. They are eaten at any meal, but most often at breakfast. They are also popular as a portable snack or meal, and are also common throughout northern Asia. Baozi and dumplings are made to celebrate the Lunar New Year!

Join Meng Jin (Lily) an OC alumnus as she shows us how to make the widely popular Chinese steamed buns.

Did you know the Okanagan shares a long history with migrants from Asia?

  • Chinese migrants arrived in the Interior of B.C. in the 1800s during the Gold Rush. Many also came for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
  • In the late 1800s there were approximately 1,000 Chinese in the Vernon area, 500 in the Kelowna area and several hundred in Armstrong.
  • Some came to the Okanagan to operate cafes and laundries, many worked on farms and orchards, and others were labourers.
  • The Kelowna Museum houses a reconstructed storefront from The Chinese Store, once located on Harvey Avenue. To learn more about the history of this store, and the murder of its owner, visit the museum on Ellis Street in downtown Kelowna.
  • Dirty Laundry Winery in Summerland is built on the grounds of a former laundry operated by a Chinese railroad worker. How did it become known as the “dirty laundry?” Visit the winery to find out the rest of the story...
  • There is a sign at the entrance to Kelowna’s City Park to honour the Chinese contributions to Kelowna
  • There once was a Chinatown district in Kelowna which was unfortunately demolished in the 1970s. It was located between Water Street and Abbott Street and Harvey and Leon.

Chinese New Year Gala

Chinese New Year is an ancient holiday. Most of its traditions date back to thousands of years ago. But as times change, it’s not surprising that new traditions are formed. The most prominent is the Chinese New Year Gala.