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It was a cold Sunday morning as students rose to find blue skies promising a reprieve from the snow. The campus was quiet as students ventured out of their dorms, seeking the food and fun they were promised during the Lunar New Year Celebration and Multicultural Festival.

As more than 200 people walked into The Gathering Place, there were bright decorations hung from the ceiling and walls, tables filled with displays and cuisines of all varieties, and there was a hum of organized chaos as speakers were turned on and people worked to find seats as they were transported to six different regions of the world. For the first time since 2020, the Lunar New Year celebration and Multicultural Festival were back at ��ݮ��Ƶ in all their glory.

Three students — Haoyu Yan ’22 (Beijing, China), Eleanor Smith ’23 (Marietta, Ohio) and Arabella Parsons ’23 (Parkersburg, West Virginia) — emceed the event, and explained that this is the Year of the Water Tiger in the Lunar calendar.

Between COVID-19 travel restrictions and local roads being covered in snow, exploring has been harder than ever for students. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion partnered with the Asian Studies program worked to bring back two of the biggest events on campus and gave students a way to travel without passports or parkas.

Perhaps the best analogy for the day was the food line. What was the quest for food, ended up nourishing both the soul and curiosity. Brought together by the common idea of nourishment but symbolizing so much more. Yutaro Ito ’25 (Takatsuki-shi, Japan), gave insight into the significance of the food. “I really enjoyed all the food and stuff there. I prepared a lot for a Japanese table, and it was really very fun.”  

True the dumplings were delicious, the smells intoxicating, and the sample cups were perfect to try a little of everything. The real story lies in the function of the line and the emotion of the contents of a paper plate. All walks of life were in the food line. People from different countries and cultures, students, staff and faculty, community members, and even families and children. Herded together by the grumbling of their stomachs, once in the line they found intriguing discussions, the melodic trance of music in the background, and friendship. Once the plates were filled the room came alive. The anticipation was over, and now everyone was friends. You sat where you could find room, you talked with whoever passed by, and above all else, you ate everything presented to you.

Nothing brings people together like the breaking of bread, and after all, it’s hard to argue when your slurping noodles.

In a sense, the event was what you made of it. One could easily come to grab some free food and a raffle ticket, not enjoying themselves and missing the purpose of the event. Many worked to step out of their comfort zone.

Yutaro expressed excitement and pride in being able to represent his culture at the event.

“Performing Japanese traditional dance in front of other people made me feel so good and become more proud of my country. If I have another chance to do that, I’ll definitely do that again!”

To allow the music and dances to entrance them, to laugh and sing and clap, some even stepped out of their comfort zone by going up on stage to play hacky sack or learn basic Kungfu forms. The gold dragon dancing around the room, the hypnotic sounds of the Guzheng strings, the shouts of the audience during the raffles, it was easy to be overwhelmed and even easier to be transported away. The face changing during the Sichuan opera was stunning as the actor magically and instantaneously would change masks. Every mask was different in expression and color, yet everyone was beautiful and loved by the audience. The dance itself serves as an allegory for the day, that if we all take a moment and simply appreciate each other, seeing how our similarities and difference complement each other, we can be surprised what we find.

As fun as the event was, it is what it represented that will linger long after the music fades and the smell of the food dissipates. Two of the core values of ��ݮ��Ƶ are global perspectives and diversity and community. Charlie Domonkos ’25 (Stow, Ohio), a Charles Sumner Harrison Scholar, explained how this was the first event he has attended at The Gathering Place and how he was glad to see diversity being celebrated on campus. “It was nice to see an event that celebrated different cultures that I haven’t experienced before. To be able to experience all the food, dance, music, and everything. It was a fun event.”

Jenni Zhang, Director of the Asian Studies program, explained what it was like to plan such an event.

“When students, administration, faculty, staff, even campus police work together,” she said, “it is also a wonderful opportunity for learning more about their culture and to build connections between different departments, student groups and people you don't normally have chance to meet every day.”