Celebrating Lunar New Year 2026, The Year of the Horse
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Gong Hay Fat Choy! February 17 marks the beginning of Lunar New Year: Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar and Spring Festival,
which celebrates the arrival of the new year in Asia and ends 16 days later with the
first full moon. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse which symbolizes adventure, vitality and momentum.
On Sunday, March 1, Seton Hall University partnered with South Orange Maplewood Cross-Cultural Works to sponsor the 7th annual Lunar Fest NJ 2026 at The Woodland in Maplewood, NJ.
Community members gathered for an exciting afternoon of performances, including a lion dance, traditional dances from FA Academy and the Purple Swans Dance Company, martial arts demonstrations and drumming exhibitions. Local food vendors, including Kung Fu Tea, Mochimoly, Ms. Fu’s, Pandang, Qsina8 and Yi Sushi Go 2 served homemade, traditional Asian cuisine.
Monica Burnette, Ph.D., vice president of Student Services and co-chair of the Campus Belonging and Community Committee, provided welcoming remarks:
I'm honored to serve as the first Asian American vice president of Student Services at Seton Hall and a proud member of the SOMA community. Seton Hall is committed to academic excellence and fostering a welcoming, inclusive, supportive community on campus and beyond. Our partnerships and collaborations with our local community align closely with our mission. We thank SOMA Cross Cultural Works and the organizers for once again inviting Seton Hall University to sponsor Lunar Fest NJ.
Lunar Fest NJ Festival Director Ms. Lanny Cheuk shared,
This year was our most successful event to date, and we have [Seton Hall] to thank for that. Because of Seton Hall’s [support and sponsorship], we were able to offer hours of cultural performances, kids' activities, food offerings and crafts [to the community]. We hope [Seton Hall] will continue to sponsor SOMA CCW and all its wonderful cultural events!
Continue to check the University Calendar for additional events. If you are interested in helping to plan Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month in May 2026, please fill out our interest form or email cbc@shu.edu.
Categories: Arts and Culture
