Happy Lunar New Year from F&ES!

On January 25th, a unique set of festive ornaments was put on at the Kroon Hall – red lanterns, door couplets, delicate paper cut, and Lucky Upside-down Fu Character. Guess what was going on? Yes, it was the celebration of the Lunar New Year at F&ES.

The Asia Student Interest Group (SIG) and the Forestry Club co-hosted the “Thank Goodness I’m a Forester (TGIF)” event to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Pig – the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival is the first day of the lunar calendar. The Lunar New Year is widely celebrated and highly valued across a few Asian societies as a time of family reunion. People gather with their families and relatives to celebrate the arrival of spring. F&ES students and staff were invited to the early celebration.

Students enjoyed dumplings and spring rolls from local Chinese restaurants, as well as a variety of Asian snacks, such as rice cookies. The TGIF celebration is an event following the 3rd Yale Belt and Road Initiative Conference, a student-run conference that brought speakers from all over the world to share their insights on the environmental impacts of Chinese overseas investments.

Diverse cultural exposure is a crucial element of your F&ES experience. The F&ES community embraces intriguing cultural traditions of our students and continue to promote diversity inclusion at F&ES and across Yale campus. Throughout the year, the Forestry Club hosts several TGIF of various cultural contexts, including African TGIF. Come join us and happy Lunar New Year everyone!