Dragons, dances, and dumplings: CCHS marks the Lunar New Year
The aroma of traditional Asian food wafted through the red lantern-lined high school cafeteria during town’s third Lunar New Year Festival.
The aroma of traditional Asian food wafted through the red lantern-lined Acton-Carlisle High School cafeteria last Saturday as students and families gathered for the town’s third Lunar New Year Festival.
CCHS Chinese language teacher and event organizer Agnes Han said that while many nearby towns also host such festivals, they draw primarily Asian attendees. “It’s important to share [this culture] by using activities to engage people,” Han said. “We want to make [people] a part of the event, not just show up.”
The Lunar New Year itself begins today, ushering in the Year of the Fire Horse.
The local festival traces its roots to a small celebration begun in the 2000s by Carlisle Chinese teacher Chiao Bin Huang, before its post-pandemic revival on a much larger scale.
The CCHS Far East Association spent the past year planning and fundraising for the gathering. “Before, it’s just been a couple of Chinese classes singing on stage,” said sophomore Oliver Kuo, one of the club’s student leaders. “Now, we have 600 to 700 people coming.”
‘Abundance year after year’
Increased involvement from Acton Middle School played into the event’s growth.
CMS Chinese teacher Jennifer Cheng shared that more of her students took part this year, performing in the Chinese yo-yo showcase, presenting shadow puppets, and exhibiting projects. “In the early stage, if [students] get involved in culture, they feel more connected to the language,” Cheng said.
Throughout the cafeteria, attendees explored Chinese knotting, face painting, dumpling-making, calligraphy, and food stations.
At the New England Chinese Cultural Studio’s craft station, member Teresa Lu showed how visitors could print auspicious phrases like “年年有余 (nián nián yŏu yú),” meaning, “May you have abundance year after year.”
Beyond the cafeteria, the CCHS Ping Pong Club hosted its Lunar New Year tournament, drawing in over 80 participants. Club leader Dylan Yang hoped the event could “bring the sport to more of the population.”
In the library, the CCHS Tai Ji Club hosted a mini-class, while the auditorium featured vibrant performances including Chinese yo-yo, dragon ribbon dance, Sichuan face-changing, and K-pop choreography.
Sophomore Gena Wang, who’s originally from Shanghai, marked past holidays by going to her hometown and eating dinner with family. Celebrating here with the local community still gave her “a sense of belonging.”
Big-tent appeal
The festival’s appeal extended beyond those who traditionally celebrate the Lunar New Year. First-time attendee and CCHS senior Maria Kielczewska described the festival as “an extremely fun way to learn more about Chinese culture and a lot of other Asian cultures,” adding that it was a “beautiful way to showcase the diversity of this town.”
Yeso Kim, a Far East Association leader, called the Lunar New Year Festival “a good excuse to get together as one whole community.”
The event wrapped up with a performance of “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” led by the class of 2026 alongside CCHS, CMS, and Carlisle students. As the students sang, photos and videos from the seniors’ kindergarten through 12th grade Chinese classes played in the background. At the close, red and gold confetti showered the stage as the students embraced.
CCHS senior Alicia Kaminsky described the moment as “bittersweet” as she faced her unwillingness to leave behind all of the “friendships [she has] made and the experiences [she] had through the program.”
