Student association celebrates the Korean Lunar New Year
Online Poster
Feb 7, 2005
Last updated on May 11, 2016 at 06:41 p.m.
The Korean Students Association celebrated the Korean Lunar New Year Saturday night at Foellinger Auditorium.
The event, the group’s biggest annual event, provided an alternative for students who are away from families and busy with schoolwork to still gather and celebrate the holiday.
The Korean Lunar New Year is one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea and is a day usually spent with family in remembrance of ancestors.
“We usually gather at our grandma’s house, wear traditional Korean clothing and play traditional Korean games to celebrate the New Year,” said Soo Kang Lee, freshman in LAS who was born in Korea.
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The celebration consisted of special performances, including classical piano, Native American dance and Tae Kwon Do. This was the first year the music and dance festival was held on the Korean Lunar New Year – in the past the music and dance festival had been held in March.
“(We) changed the date in January because there was no celebration on the Lunar New Year,” program coordinator Joo-Hye Lee said.
The organization also sold raffle tickets at the door for a variety of prizes, including a free plane ticket to Korea, an MP3 player and a $50 Kamakura restaurant gift certificate.
While Soo Kang Lee appreciated the event, she still missed spending the day with her loved ones.
“The celebration was a good alternative, but being with family at home is still the best,” Soo Kang Lee said.
“(It was) not as good as being at home,” said Insun Kim, freshman in LAS. “(But) it was such a good program.”
One of the group’s goals is to make a connection between the residents of the Urbana-Champaign area and University students.
“The event is a good way to get the groups together,” Joo-Hye Lee said.
There were people of all backgrounds attending the celebration. William Reich and his wife Melinda, of Tino, Ill., brought their two children – adopted from Korea – to the show.
“We wanted to see what it had to offer especially since our children are Korean,” Melinda Reich said. “We want to help educate them in their culture.”
