VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Sarah Schafer: At Syracuse University it was hard to miss this Tuesday, Lunar New Year has arrived. More than one and a half billion people worldwide celebrate the holiday, which begins with the first moon of the lunar calendar, just off campus at a Chinese restaurant, Mochimochi. This day is also a piece of home for students like Donald Ma,
Donald Ma: I come from Hong Kong, when we are doing New Years, we don’t need to go to school, and we are going out for fun, going out for travel, and going out with our parents or relatives.
Sarah Schafer: This year is the year of the fire horse, a rare cycle that brings energy and ambition. But watch out when the year of your birth animal comes around. It is supposed to be dangerous for you.
Donald Ma: You need to walk through it, pass through it. And if you pass through it, you get lots of lots of goods.
Sarah Schafer: That good often comes in red pockets with money. And of course, in the family tradition of making dumplings, that sense of family is exactly what Chef Brian is trying to recreate at Ernie Davis dining hall.
Chef Brian: So I think it’s really important that all of our students feel at home, well represented, and other students that may not be in a situation where they know much about Lunar New Year get to experience it.
Sarah Schafer: And do the students like the dumplings?
Student 1:I think it’s a good variety of stuff to have, you know, something new.
Student 2: Yeah, I love it. It’s honestly awesome. I love Chinese food, so it’s great.
Student 3: It doesn’t really taste like Chinese food, like it’s kind of funny, but still tastes good.
Sarah Schafer: But it’s the effort that counts, and that was clearly felt here today.
At Syracuse University and all around Syracuse, people from all cultural backgrounds are celebrating Luna New Year, and now I wish that this chocolate coin also brings luck to me in this year of the horse.
Sarah Schafer, NCC NEWS.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — Red lanterns, steaming dumplings and bright red envelopes marked Lunar New Year celebrations across Syracuse University on Tuesday. More than 1.5 billion people worldwide observe the holiday, which begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar. On campus and just off Marshall Square, students and local businesses brought those traditions to life.
For international student Donald Ma from Hong Kong, the holiday is usually filled with friends and festivities. “Me and my friends usually went out for dinner tonight, and we would go to some party, for example, drinking, and maybe go to a karaoke,” Donald said.
This year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse, a zodiac sign associated with energy, confidence and bold decisions. It is a rare one: The Fire Horse combination appears only once every 60 years as the Chinese zodiac cycles through 12 animals and five elements.
One of the most recognizable traditions is the giving of red envelopes, known as hongbao, typically passed from elders to younger family members as a symbol of luck and protection.
The celebration also extended to campus dining halls, where chefs prepared hundreds of pounds of dumplings — foods traditionally shaped like ancient gold ingots to symbolize wealth, love and togetherness in the new year. Chef Brian says the cultural variety keeps his kitchen busy in the best way. “As a chef who’s got love for food and love for what he does, being in a collective community like this, where you get to celebrate all of the nation’s holidays, means I’m throwing a party once a week, and that’s a really good job to have,” Brian said.
Notably, February 17, 2026 was a rare convergence of global observances. The day marked Lunar New Year, the start of Ramadan at sundown and Shrove Tuesday ahead of the Christian season of Lent, what highlights the diverse religious and cultural calendar reflected on college campuses.
Looking ahead, Ma says he has one personal wish for the new year. “I’m graduating next semester, and when I’m walking in this graduation ceremony, I hope, I will have a good grade. I’m still in 3.7. I hope I can get a 3.8.”
Whether you celebrated Lunar New Year or Shrove Tuesday, began observing Ramadan — or simply experienced it as an ordinary Tuesday — it is always a good day to set new goals or send a wish out into the universe.