Around this time last year, Nicholas regaled us with tales of spending his first Lunar New Year in the U.S. – the reunion dinner his Asian friends cooked together, the traditions he taught his American friends, and why it wasn’t so bad to be away from home during the holiday. But Facebook fan Nhat had to disagree. There’s one important thing missing from new year celebrations in America, he wrote:

I would say the old tradition is essentially important. The new way is not so bad at all, but to me it can never replace the feeling of the old one.

Even though we can manage to have an old traditional way to celebrate new year in a foreign country with friends, it’s still not original. We still miss our family. The meaning of this Lunar New Year is family and friend reunion. I’ve been away from home, Vietnam, where most of my family live, and I dearly miss this moment of the year.

They do celebrate Lunar New Year here in the US, but something is still missing, family…

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“I just got an invitation from one of my anthropology professors for a Christmas Eve dinner at his house. Would you like to go with me?” I asked my Chinese roommate while she was struggling with some high-level econometric problems. She immediately lifted her head up, “Nice! I’d love to!”

Why did my host ask us to bring him gifts? Read on to find out!

“Wait a second. This is funny,” said I, as she was about to go back to numbers and equations, “The professor asked me to bring a dish and a gift to the dinner. I can understand about bringing a dish. But how could someone invite you to his house while asking you explicitly to bring a gift?”

I found out eventually what the gift was for, but first I spent a lot of time getting excited about this Christmas Eve dinner, even when I was studying for my finals. I had traveled home to China during last winter break, so this year’s Christmas would be another of my “first times” in the U.S. Besides, as an anthropology major interested in America, being able to celebrate Christmas in the U.S. with Americans fascinated me.

My roommate and I got up very early on December 24th, Christmas Eve, to start worrying about the food we would bring to the dinner. We had no idea how to cook American food, and almost everything in our fridge was from an Asian market in town. “You know what? We can just make Chinese food. It would not look that weird. He is an anthropology professor, so he would probably be very interested in what we cook.” I said to my roommate.

My professor knocked on our door to pick us up at 5:50 pm. We said “Merry Christmas” to each other as my roommate and I came to his car, carrying a high-pressured cooker with Chinese pork rib soup inside. Of course we had our wrapped gifts in tow as well. “I am curious how Americans will react to a Chinese soup at a Christmas Eve dinner, and how they are going to eat the ribs in the soup,” my roommate whispered to me in the car.

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My family on Christmas

My American Thanksgiving was a truly wonderful experience and gave me a glimpse into what the holiday means for Americans and those living in America. I was privileged to have two Thanksgiving feasts with all the traditional foods, turkey, apple pie, green bean casserole, and the works! The first was at my church the week of Thanksgiving where the whole church sat down for a meal cooked by the ladies’ group. The second was a more intimate affair with my pastor and his family in their home.

What I loved about the Thanksgiving holiday:

• Turkey and apple pie are wonderful foods; either I ate food made by really good cooks or I just love food, but I am thinking it’s the cooks. The overindulgence of Thanksgiving is quite enjoyable and the truth is you can’t help but be overstuffed after digging into a lavish Thanksgiving feast!

• The significance of sharing with those without, including people far from homes or their families, is the best part of the holiday. Communities, churches and individuals don’t just make a huge meal and eat on their own, in a way they seek out those with whom they may share with so that the true meaning of the holiday is celebrated. I remember seeing multiple signs at churches for free thanksgiving dinners to all.

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One year ago: December 2011. A girl’s bags are packed and she is literally “ready to go,” just like John Denver was. She is leaving her home, her family to go miles away, halfway across the world, to the land of dreams, the U.S.A. Yes, she is scared. Yes, she is nervous. However, there is this small part of her which is jumping with excitement. And the reason for its excitement is not a normal one: after 19 years of Christmas in Pakistan, she is excited to finally witness the holiday in her dream land. Today, I, that girl, have come full circle, back to Washington, D.C. for that same holiday.

When my plane landed at the Washington Dulles airport on December 27 last year, I won’t lie, I felt a bit lost. It was a new country, with new people and it was just so cold. But as I rode away from the airport, every house that was decorated with Christmas lights and reindeers and Santas would just make me so happy.

Decorations on a house in Queens, NY (Photo: Reuters)

A house in Alabama all decorated for Christmas (Photo: AP)

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Vietnamese people celebrate the Lunar/Chinese New Year as Tet.  It’s a meaningful occasion for every Vietnamese – a time for family reunions, greetings and making New Year’s wishes.

This is the second year that I did not celebrate the Tet holidays in my home country. But happily, since I am living among the biggest Vietnamese community in the States, I still celebrate with my relatives.  And my Vietnamese friend, who is working in San Francisco, drove a long way to visit me in Orange County and enjoy the Tet atmosphere and foods here for a day.  It is not 100% the same as back in Vietnam, but I did have a happy time.

There are many Tet market fairs, music shows and traditional games organized for Vietnamese people living here to buy things for their Tet preparations and to join in Tet activities during these days in Little Saigon. You can see some of what goes on here for Tet in these pictures. What was your Tet like?

My friend Vu and I walking around the Tet market in Little Saigon.
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For those that are unfamiliar with the Chinese New Year (also known as the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year in the U.S.), it is one of the most important celebrations among Chinese populations around the world.

Yee sang, a traditional Chinese New Year dish (Creative commons photo by “Alpha”)

On Chinese New Year’s eve, the entire extended family will gather for a reunion dinner, which is a time of fellowship.

In Malaysia, where I’m from, no reunion dinner goes without a tossing of yee sang (usually a mixture of shredded vegetables, raw fish, sauces and other ingredients), my favorite dish of the celebration. The tossing of yee sang symbolizes the action of wishing one another a great year ahead filled with abundant health, prosperity and happiness.

Another thing I love about the Chinese New Year are the ang pows (red packets or hóngbāo), which are packed with money, and are given out by married couples until the last day of the celebration (Chap Goh Meh). The ang pows are the best part for almost every kid and non-married individual.

This Chinese New Year is a very different one for me, and for many other international students. It will be my first Chinese New Year celebration away from home, and I am beginning to feel just how different it will be.

[Check out some more stories from the Chinese New Year]
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As an exchange student from China, I just finished my first (and last) winter break in North Dakota. I finished my finals in late December and checked out of my dorm room to spend the vacation in the city of Grand Forks. Maia Randclev, my best American friend, invited me to spend Christmas with her family, and they tried their best to present to me the various aspects of Americans’ real life by having a traditional Christmas with me.

Candles on Christmas Eve

From this experience, I have come to know that Christmas is not merely about food and gifts. In fact, Christmas is more about sharing with others and appreciating what people already have in their lives. At least, this is how I felt after spending the holiday with the Randclevs.

December 24th—Christmas Eve

We went to church on Christmas Eve to meet other people in the local community and to have a religious celebration of Jesus’ birthday. The Randclevs were serving as volunteers, so Maia, her sister and their parents wore white robes and worked in front of the church.

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As November is on its last couple of days, I would like to look back on what these past few weeks have left us international students, living in our surrogate home. Many of us Student Union bloggers will probably be talking about Thanksgiving, a truly American holiday, and I will too, but I believe there are a couple of November traditions that are less discussed, that also deserve some space in these pages.

Pi Day pies (Creative commons photo by Flickr user Dennis Wilkinson)

As Nareg pointed out in a previous post, Americans can find pretty interesting ways of turning insignificant dates into slightly more festive days, a fact he supported with examples such as Pi Day, held on March 14 (3/14) or the slightly darker April 20 (4/20).

But let’s start with the obvious one first. As you might know already, the fourth Thursday of the month is celebrated in America as Thanksgiving, when people get together with their families and are thankful for all the things they have. This day, also known as Turkey Day due to the major consumption of said bird, is characterized by family gatherings, large amounts of food ingestion, and a relaxed and jolly atmosphere all around (and, as Jessica let us know before, some other, weirder happenings).

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It has been around three months since I arrived in the United States, and I’m still always excited to experience new things, especially those exclusive to America, adding to my long list of firsts. Last week, my new first was celebrating Thanksgiving in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina.

Sullivan Island

On the beautiful Thanksgiving morning, my friends and I headed to a sunny, cold beach on Sullivan’s Island. Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, we relaxed and hung out on the beach, a rather unusual way to kick off Thanksgiving.

It was our excuse to try something different before each of us headed off for our more standard celebrations. We took advantage of the strong wind that morning by flying kites, while munching on snacks along the way, among other things.

Later that day I embarked on my first traditional American Thanksgiving meal. I had the pleasure of joining my friend Orlin and his family, along with another friend.

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The traditional Thanksgiving turkey (Photo: Food Network)

The fourth Thursday of November is the American holiday of Thanksgiving.  It’s one of America’s most deeply-held national traditions, and one that we love to show off to foreign students.  A day to eat good food in the company of loved ones and give thanks for what we have – what could be nicer?

But Thanksgiving has developed a whole bunch of other traditions around it that don’t make quite as much sense. Here are some of the weirdest things that happen on American Thanksgiving:

1) Christmas starts

Introducing myself always felt awkward at first

“Namaste! I am Abhushan and I am from Nepal.”

“Really? Have you ever climbed Mt. Everest?” “Do you live in the mountains?” “Do you pet Yetis back in Nepal?”

“Yes, I am from Nepal.” “No I haven’t climbed Mt. Everest because it is at a whopping altitude of 8850 meters.” “I live in a big sprawling city with a population of almost 1 million people.” “I definitely do not have a pet Yeti. I have a little yipper named “Sheru” who likes to stun and catch birds.”

A year back, these were typical questions that people in the U.S. would fire back at me when I introduced myself and my country to them. Whether it was a normal conversation or an email, such questions almost became inevitable. It was annoying at first, seeing people who have no idea about my country and my culture talk to me so stereotypically. Sometimes, out of rage, I wondered how these people who have no idea about geography are ruling the world right now!

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I did a similar list at Christmas time, so I won’t repeat any of the posts I listed there. Take a look back at that post from December 2010 to see some previous favorites worth checking out.

Top 5 personal favorites

Farima represents Afghanistan at a school cultural event

#1) We Are Not Terrorists: Muslim Experiences on Campus, Question of the Week

Also:
My Biggest Surprise in the US: Sadia’s Story
Being Afghan and Muslim at a US High School, by Farima

I loved these three posts because of the unique insights and perspectives they offered on being a Muslim in the U.S.  Sadia, Farima, Umer and Beenish (the two people we interviewed for the “We Are Not Terrorists” story) all talked honestly about their experiences – both good and bad.  And I felt like their conclusions were summed up beautifully by this quote, from a Pakistani UGRAD partipant on his first day in the U.S.: “There are only two kinds of people which you will find in every corner of the world, in every society, in every country. That is good and bad. It exists everywhere, and last night I found this true.”

#2) On Cultures and Sub-Cultures in America, by Nareg

We came to know Nareg as our resident sociologist/anthropologist, always interested in the foundations and layers of American culture.  This piece explores a particularly unique part of American culture – the way it enables innumerable subcultures sprung up around everything from particular styles of dress to musical preferences to emotional states.  I enjoyed seeing his take on some subcultures I’ve grown up with, and tussling with him in the editing process over his portrayal of hipsters and nerds.

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Creative commons photo by Flickr user Ehsan Khakbaz

The new year in Afghanistan is called Nawroz (sometimes spelled Nowruz or Nawruz in English). The first day of the Afghan month Hamal, which falls on the 21st of March, was the first day of the new year in Afghanistan and some other countries.

This day is considered one of the biggest holidays of the year. People start getting ready for Nawroz a month before and celebrate the actual day following the old Afghan traditions.

One of the biggest traditions for Afghans on Nawroz is to wear green clothes and to cook green things. The idea is to give a new start to their lives, the same as the growth of the green plants in the spring, so they will be green, happy and fresh until the end of the year. The word green in the Dari language is “sabz.” Therefore, Afghans prepare seven dishes that start with the letter “S.”

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Last week, Tara talked about celebrating the Chinese New Year at the University of Southern California.  Tara decided to let the holiday pass with little fanfare, although her campus Chinese Students Association throws a Spring Festival Gala with food and performances.

It’s not only at USC where you can find ways to get in the spirit of the new year.  The Lunar New Year is celebrated on college campuses across the U.S.

Check out Li’s great photos from Ohio State’s celebrations on his blog, East Peeks West.

At the University of Kansas, students recorded this video to welcome the Chinese New Year (if you look carefully, you may see someone you recognize!):

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