Stanford community members gathered at White Plaza Sunday afternoon to celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year. The festival, organized by the Stanford Vietnamese Student Association (SVSA), ushered in the Year of the Dragon — a year of anticipated prosperity, success and unity for those who celebrate.  

“For dragons specifically, this year is the time to try new opportunities and to explore a little,” said Brandon Saltzman ’25, SVSA’s social lead and emcee of Sunday’s event. “It will be a bit of an uncomfortable year for dragons, but overall, 2024 should be very welcoming and eye-opening.” 

Festival participants enjoyed an array of activities planned by the Asian Student Union and Filipino-American Student Union, including lantern and fan painting, red envelope making and trivia. The festival also offered catered cuisine, including Vietnamese rice cakes, fried rice (cơm chiên), savory sticky rice cakes (bánh tét or bánh chưng) and chè, a traditional Vietnamese dessert. 

Community was a defining focus of Sunday’s festival. Both event organizers and participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share the occasion with others who are passionate about celebrating their common cultural bonds and heritage.  

“Lunar New Year is so rewarding and fulfilling, because it’s not just the Vietnamese or Asian community that comes out to celebrate,” said SVSA President Victoria Le ‘24. “You see so many different people who come up to you, and they’re like, ‘Excuse me, what is this?’ They get to learn more about Lunar New Year and the people who celebrate it, and they get to have an in on it too, so it’s very interconnecting.” 

According to Aileen Le ’26, SVSA member and organizer of Sunday’s event, the communal aspect of Lunar New Year celebrations aligns with SVSA’s goals to foster cultural awareness and promote solidarity among different cultures. 

“Lunar New Year is not solely reserved for Asians. I think it’s a great holiday for all people to remember their ancestry and where they came from, but also, what the future holds,” Saltzman added.

Among the celebration’s main events were performances from a variety of student dance groups, including Stanford Lion Dance. 

In Chinese culture, lion dancing is a revered tradition in which dancers synchronize their movements and perform various stunts. 

“We aim to bring the joy, art and beauty of lion dance to communities all around the Bay Area,” said Daisy Wang ’25, co-president of Stanford Lion Dance. “We perform on and off campus, and it’s always a really tight-knit community and a really wonderful time.”  

Anh Huynh ’25, another co-president of Stanford Lion Dance, similarly loves performing for communities beyond the Farm. 

“My favorite part of lion dance is definitely performance, especially when we perform at local elementary schools. Hearing the screams and cheering of everyone definitely pumps us up to perform better,” Huynh said.

Two other student dance groups — XTRM, which specializes in K-pop, and Múa Lạc Hồng (MLH), which performs traditional Vietnamese dance — also performed at Sunday’s celebration. 

“I was new to dance starting college, so joining XTRM was a great way for me to feel more connected to student groups,” said Emily Schwab ’26. “It’s been a great community, and has allowed me to explore a new hobby that has been really fun.” 

Like Schwab, MLH member Steven Le ’25 had never danced before attending Stanford, but was drawn to the organization’s uniting sense of camaraderie and collaboration around Vietnamese culture. During the performance, MLH donned ao dài, traditional Vietnamese attire, and danced with colorful fans and parasols.  

“My favorite aspect of the Lunar New Year is definitely the emphasis on community building, familial bonds and filial piety,” Le said. “Back at home, this was the time that I would typically fly out to see my extended family, and exchange gifts like red envelopes. That’s what Lunar New Year truly means — it’s just being with family and enjoying the moment.” 

SVSA members said their community on campus has allowed them to replicate the warmth and exuberance of Lunar New Year celebrations at home. 

“I’m out-of-state, so it’s kind of hard to celebrate such a special holiday without family,” Huynh said. “I think being here and going to the SVSA festival and other celebrations that are led by student organizations, along with Stanford Lion Dance, really allows me to have a family away from home.”