On thursday, from 4:30-7:30pm, the AYLUS Roslyn branch assembled lanterns and decoration for the lunar new year celebration on Saturday.
The Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays in Chinese culture. This long awaited event is an opportunity for the chinese community to celebrate and honor their culture but also to share this tradition with people of other cultures and to foster a global community. And it is because of this, decorating is essential to capture the full experience.
Immediately, our volunteers set off to work. A group handled putting up artworks from the lunar new year art contest on the wall, showcasing the masterpieces of elementary school children. Another group worked on assembling paper lanterns, a task that seemed easier than it actually is. Though the work is tasking and required a lot of concentration, our volunteers completed the job without any complaints. Then we put together foam lantern holders and arranged them on in a neat roll down the main entrance hallway.
One issue we ran into was the lanterns and its holders not sticking to the wall. Many that we have previously hung up had fallen down within ten minutes. Despite that setback, we experimented with various materials, such as tape and gorilla glue putty, and eventually found one that worked. I taught us an important lesson on never giving up and to accept the curveballs life throw our way.
We also decorated the auditorium where the main event would take place. Red banners sprouting pieces of wisdom were hung up around the room. We also had these long red scrolls to be pinned to the stage curtain and with unfailing teamwork, we managed to hang them symmetrically.
Members who participated include (3 hours):
Yang Amy Wu, Nicholas Chao, Jeffery Fang, Daniel Fan, Calvin Chen, and Ryan Chen.
Reporter: Yang Amy Wu
