Authored by: Yan (Stella) Si, (CDS MSDS'24)
On February 8th, 2024, dozens of CDS undergraduate and graduate students gathered on the 16th floor of the Center for Computing & Data Sciences to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The holiday marks the lunar calendar's beginning of the year of the dragon. Taking in the sweeping views over the Charles River, students participated in a variety of activities and enjoyed a delicious meal of dumplings and spring rolls.
The welcome area featured tangerines (a aymbol of luck and happiness) piled in neat pyramids for students to take home. “This is my first time celebrating the Lunar New Year away from home, and I'm so glad to be surrounded by friends," said Xinyu (Cindy) Zhang (MSDS'24). "I enjoyed explaining my traditions to friends from other countries, and I felt at home with the decoration and food.”
The Lunar Celebration event featured four activity stations: red envelope giveaways, Mahjong, red paper cutting, and fortune cookie reading. Each activity represents celebration and renewal, bringing good luck and fortune. Students’ faces lit up with joy as they opened their red envelopes with candy and blessings. At the Mahjong table, people gathered around to play an interactive game of pung and chow, while others cut flowers and dragons from red paper. Filled with food and a warm sense of camaraderie, students left the event with a stronger connection to Lunar New Year traditions, the CDS and the BU community.