With so many cultures represented at the Barrie campus, Georgian College is trying to bring them a piece of home.
The college’s Lunar New Year festival took place this afternoon in the Segal International Student Services Centre.
The third annual event is held to help the school’s large East Asian student population feel at home when they're so far away from family during the popular tradition.
The actual date that is celebrated by East Asians around the world is Saturday, Jan. 25, but the local college wanted to make sure their students could take part in the on-campus fun.
Leslie Palson, Georgian's dean of international education and development, told BarrieToday that the East Asian community was growing so much that the college moved the festivities from a night out to a huge celebration inside the school.
“One-third of our international students come from that region and the Lunar New Year is like Christmas for them. It is a big holiday,” said Palson. “Of course, a lot of students can’t be with their families at this time, so we really needed them to know this was a home for them and a place to celebrate their traditions and heritage.”
The festival, which ran from noon until to 3 p.m., showcased the food, art, dance and language of East Asia while many students and faculty took it all in.
There were Tai Chi demonstrations, Vietnamese dance, a dumpling-making workshop, calligraphy and more were on display for all to see and take part.
Palson says she believes it isn’t just the international students who come away feeling good, but students of all backgrounds as they're exposed to another cutlure.
“It is a great way of sharing, understanding and learning that we have a lot in common as humans all over the world,” she said. “We also have to enjoy the differences we have and celebrate them together.
"This is all about diversity and learning about diversity. And really, how important is that in the world right now?”
The Chinese Zodiac marks each year with an animal, with 2020 being the Year of the Rat, which, in Chinese culture, is seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their high reproduction rate, married couples also pray to them for children.
