The high school celebrated Lunar New Year on Friday Feb. 15, a holiday observed throughout China, Korea and Vietnam. This year is the year of the pig, according to the Chinese Zodiac.

The day consisted of activities and lunch in the MLK Room, along with an assembly during G-block organized by the Asian Pacific American Club (APAC), all of which celebrated and promoted awareness of important aspects of Asian culture.

Students set up game stations and learning activities in the atrium and the MLK Room, ranging from trivia games relating to the holiday to games challenging your chopstick abilities. Plates of various Chinese dishes were sold to raise money for the BHS Global Travel Fund to support study abroad programs at the high school.

At the end of the day, students and staff gathered in the auditorium for the Lunar New Year celebration assembly. As people entered and found their seats, a video played displaying ways of welcoming the new year in different cultures.

Once everyone had settled in, seniors Sabrina Zhou and Brandon Chin welcomed the crowd and gave thanks to the people who helped make the event possible.

For the first performance, the orchestra, conducted by Nina Bishop, played a classic Chinese song, “The Legend of the Butterfly Lovers,” based on a Chinese folk tale. After the orchestra, senior Ritika Singh performed a classical Indian dance, the Bhageshwari Pallavi in the Odissi style.

Following Singh’s dance, freshmen Marlyn Li and Max Shah performed their Chinese yo-yo routine, which included high-skilled tricks and spins. Gasps and cheers accompanied them throughout their performance.

Afterward, the emcees introduced “Shangri-La,” performed by Popcorn Dance Club. The group incorporated fans into their routine and enthralled the audience with their choreography.

Freshman Jia Yi Guo and junior Emily Guo showed off their abilities in playing traditional Chinese instruments, the hulusi, a wind instrument, and the guzheng, a string instrument, respectively.

Freshmen Yuki Sato and Samantha Yee, along with juniors Luka Sato and Yuna Sato took part in a martial arts performance, sporting black and brown belts. The group showed their prowess in karate, executing punches and kicks across the stage.

After the karate demonstration, senior Brandon Chin performed another martial arts presentation, using stick form kung fu.

Finally, people from the Nam Pai Kung Fu Academy presented a lion dance, a Chinese tradition to welcome in the new year. The group entered from the back and made their way to the stage.

Along with gallivanting around the stage and auditorium, the lion also tossed lettuce and clementines into the crowd, and the audience scrambled to catch the fruits and vegetables. The lion then marched towards the exit, ending the festivities.