Campus Spring Festival welcomes the Year of the Dog

“…the New Year festival has become a major fixture on the campus calendar…”

THOUSANDS of miles from their homes in South East Asia, students at the UK’s University of Huddersfield can not only celebrate Lunar New Year the way they know best, but can also share their special traditions with young people from all regions of the world.

The University has 3,000 overseas students, including large contingents from China, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.  They make the most of their UK educational experience, but are fully encouraged to celebrate their own cultures – and the New Year has become a major fixture on the Huddersfield campus calendar.

The annual Spring Festival at the University sees up to two weeks of events – including exhibitions, demonstrations and performances – centred on the New Year celebrations themselves.

In addition to UK young people, there are students from 120 nationalities at the University of Huddersfield, and during the Spring Festival they enjoy the opportunity to discover and experience many dimensions of life and culture in the countries of South East Asia.

They learn about the similarities but also some of the distinctive differences in the way that New Year is marked.

In 2018, the University of Huddersfield’s large Student Central Building featured stalls at which students from all the SE Asian countries showcased their cultures, including costume, games and calligraphy.  One stall even offered chopstick lessons to western students!

There was also fine art on display, thanks to the loan of pictures from the Chinese consulate in nearby Manchester.  There was lion dancing on the campus and the Spring Festival concluded with special gala evening of dance, acrobatics and music staged by the University’s Chinese Students’ Society.  It attracted a multi-cultural audience in the hundreds.

Cari Anderson, who is a music student from Ireland, commented: “I had a great experience watching and performing at the Chinese Evening Gala.  It gave me a unique opportunity to become briefly immersed in a totally different culture.  I learnt about the many different traditional Chinese performances and had a great time speaking to other international students.”

Chinese students at the University have become enthusiastic supporters of Huddersfield’s Premier League soccer side.  In the Year of the Dog this is especially appropriate because Huddersfield Town are nickname The Terriers!

A group of students were invited by the Club to take part in a weekend of New Year celebrations at the football stadium – which included taking in a Premiership match – and at the University’s Chinese Evening Gala, a video message of goodwill from the Club was played to the audience.

For the University’s International Student Experience Manager, Alan Tobi, the Spring Festival is a highlight of the year.

“The event has so many strands and gives participants a chance to showcase their similarities and their differences and allows us all to share them.  It’s really positive experience.  The University values all of its students and is committed to developing their global mind-sets, skill sets, abilities and social skills and these activities showcase the opportunity of friendship making and representation we have on campus.”