Cathedral Catholic High School students celebrated Chinese New Year yesterday in the academic quad, where festivities included the lion dance, samples of traditional Chinese food, and interactive activities.

“It’s the ‘Year of the Dog,’ and we want the students to know we have a big celebration this year,” CCHS Mandarin teacher Ms. Julia Liu said. “We got dumplings from a local restaurant, and we have red envelopes with fortune cookies inside. Normally, the envelopes have money in them.

“It’s a tradition in China, especially for the kids.”

Students were immersed in Chinese culture through the activities organized by Ms. Liu and her students. Performances by members of the San Diego Legendary Lion Dance Association stole the show, thrilling the students and attracting a large crowd.

“The lion dance is traditionally loud and scary to scare away the evil spirits,” Ms. Liu said. “It’s performed every Chinese New Year.”

Many CCHS students who participated in the event are originally from China, including Rachel Huang ‘19.

“Since I can’t be with my family this Chinese New Year, our celebration in the quad made it feel a little more like home,” Huang said. “Back in China, the Chinese New Year usually brings a 20-day vacation from school, kind of like American Christmas break.”

The Mandarin language program is a new addition to the CCHS campus, but between Ms. Liu and students like Huang, cultural enrichment activities like the Chinese New Year celebrations are made possible.

Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year, symbolizes the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. The Year of the Earth Dog will bring kindness, fairness, and equality, according to the Chinese Zodiac,