The College of Central Florida Ocala Campus will soon be celebrating the Lunar New
Year. The festivities will take place on Feb. 7 at the Bedford Plaza starting at 12:30 p.m.
The event is being hosted by the International Club in collaboration with Student Life.

While the New Year’s celebrations held across most regions of the world follow the
widely used solar calendar, with Jan. 1 marking each new year, Lunar New Year
celebrations instead follow the lunar or lunisolar calendars. This practice is common in
East Asian countries like China and Vietnam.

The CF event will feature activities inspired by these cultural celebrations, as well as
traditional foods like noodles and dumplings provided by La Casella Catering.

“We have students here from Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, China, among other
countries for whom this celebration is important and a piece of their identity,” stated the
International Club’s Advisor, Mayori Matos Camacho. “The idea is to make this event
one of cultural exchange, an opportunity for international students to showcase their
cultures. Our intention this year is to demonstrate different versions of this celebration, a
chance for students to share similarities and differences among countries where to [sic]
Lunar New Year is celebrated, while also comparing it to the U.S.”

The College of Central Florida is currently striving to cultivate more diversity across the
school through its lineup of events. The Lunar New Year celebration will hopefully be a
fun and educational experience that helps further this goal.