Lunar New Year Fun
by Desmond Devine and Ryan Park
To kick off the month of February, the Science Academy ASB celebrated Spirit Week from February 5th to the 9th. On Monday it was Pajama Day, Tuesday was Paint the Town Red Day, Wednesday was Jersey/College Day, Thursday was Twin Day, and Friday was Culture Day. Friday was particularly chosen as Culture Day to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is the Year of the Dragon. To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Korean Parent Organization prepared different dishes and fund activities for students to enjoy.
As students walked down to the cafeteria, they were greeted by a traditional performance of janggu, Korean drums, and buk, another type of drum. Students then stood in line as they eagerly waited to receive a bowl full of Korean dishes. In each bowl, the Korean Parent Organization put in bulgogi (불고기- grilled marinated meat), japchae (잡채- stir-fried glass noodles), and rice (밥). As a little dessert, students were also given ppeongtwigi (뻥튀기 – sweet puffed grains). There were also various activities to keep the students entertained, the most interesting being Tuho (투호). Tuho is a very traditional game where participants attempt to throw arrows into a canister from a certain distance away. Another popular game has recently become very well known due to the hit TV show Squid Game. Ddakji (딱지) is a game where players have to use their origami squares to try and flip the other player’s origami square. The last activity was jegichagi (제기차기), where the goal of the game is to keep a shuttlecock wrapped in paper in the air for as long as possible. The first part “jeggi-” means an object used in play, and “-chagi” means to kick something.
Celebrating the Lunar New Year had been a yearly tradition for the Science Academy before the pandemic hit and students had to go into remote learning. It’s wonderful to see the student body bond over food and games while they also experience some of Korean culture. Lots of appreciation to the Korean Parent Organization (KPO) for organizing such a great event and feeding all our students!
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