Tally ho! Welcome to the Year of the Horse. It promises to be swift, flying high at the head of the parade. Famous Horse babies include Augustus Caesar, Barbara Streisand, Isaac Newton, Genghis Khan, and Boris Yeltsin. People born under this sign tend to be impatient and insensitive, yet independent, motivated, and financially free.

I remember loud firecrackers (to get rid of the past year’s evil), cold, yummy food, and being scared by a scaly acrobatic and epileptic green dragon whose tongue could’ve wrapped around me and swallowed me right up. New clothes, money, and good luck made this one of my most favorite holidays of the year.

For Chinese New Year, we burnt incense and prayed for good fortune for our families and loved ones. We received a certain amount of money in a gold-lettered, red envelope that more or less said “Congratulations on your wealth” and a new set of clothes. The entire process symbolized starting over, a fresh beginning or chance to get off on a better foot. The altar to the kitchen god would have honey put on his tongue two weeks before he went up to heaven in order for us to receive a good report from his sweetened words.

I called up my best friend to find out what she did for Vietnamese New Year. In a groggy voice, she described going to a Buddhist temple to atone for the past year’s sins, setting up an altar to her ancestors, and eating dishes specific to central Vietnam. The money she received was pinned to a small orange tree and she had to dress in an ao yai (Vietnamese traditional dress).

A portion of the Asian population is represented on campus by the Cambodian Club, the Chinese Cultural Association, Real Life SAYA (Southeast Asian Youth Association), Vietnamese Student Association, and the Japanese Club.

UMass Boston celebrated Asian New Year, to use an all-inclusive term, on February 15 with a bash held in the McCormack Cafeteria. Sponsored by the Asian Center, the community gathered together to celebrate with music, food, and dancing. Beneath the spinning lights, Asians of all different origins danced and dined the evening away.