The Chinese Heritage Association at the University is helping co-sponsor the annual banquet for Chinese New Year, which is on Sunday.

Unlike previous years, when the festivities were hosted at the Illini Union, this year’s banquet will be held at the Holiday Inn in Urbana. This year is also different because the main menu will have more American food, such as garden salad and roast beef, than Chinese food. However, there will be a few traditional Chinese items on the menu, which will include tangerines and Ba-Bao-Fan, a sweet stick rice with various beans and nuts.

American food is being served because in the past, the Chinese food has turned cold and other venues could not handle cooking enough food for the large amount of people who attended, said Chengjian Mao, a research scientist in biochemistry and president of the Chinese Heritage Association.

“This year we decided we wanted to get a new style and try American food,” said Mao.

Despite having an American-style buffet, the chef at the Holiday Inn will receive lessons on how to stir-fry the rice portion of the dinner from one of the banquet committee members.

Sunday’s event will also include an authentic lion dance performance, folk music and other dances performed by the children who attend Chinese language classes sponsored by the Chinese Heritage Association.

State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-Urbana) will also participate in the festivities as the keynote speaker. Jakobsson will discuss the important influence of Chinese people in the community and in politics, said Mao.

Jakobsson’s speech is part of the effort to promote diversity throughout the University and the surrounding community, said Poshek Fu, professor of history and cinema students and the chair of the Chinese New Year Banquet Committee. Fu said the banquet is a large event because Chinese people come from all over Central Illinois, including Decatur and Rantoul, and non-Chinese people attend the banquet to enjoy the traditional dances and desserts.

“We have so much people right now, about 300 to 400 people [attending the banquet],” said Mao.

The Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday of the year for Chinese people, both in China and throughout the world. This year is the Year of the Dog, which is determined by the Chinese Lunar calendar.

The New Year, or Spring Festival, is special because it is a time for family, friends, food and the cleansing of life and relationships, Fu said.

“The New Year is necessary [for unity],” said Zhitian Zhang, a graduate student in Food Sciences, who said he will attend Sunday’s event.

Zhang said despite the distance from China, the New Year is important to celebrate with family and friends, even while attending the University. Zhang said every year he calls relatives in China to wish them a happy New Year.

Zhang will also attend another Chinese New Year celebration at the Orchard Downs Community Center, 1916 S. Orchard Downs, on Saturday afternoon where recorded footage from the events in China will be broadcast.

“This is the biggest holiday in China,” said Yihe Zu, a graduate student in Speech and Hearing Sciences and whose three-year-old son participates in the Chinese language classes, also plans to attend the banquet on Sunday.

Zu will also celebrate at home where she will cook Chinese dumplings, a necessary food item for the New Year.