On Saturday night, the sounds of drums being played echoed from the Red Barn at Ag Heritage Park. From 5-7 p.m. that evening, Auburn Global students were invited to celebrate the Chinese New Year with the Spring Festival Finale, an event that created a space for community members and international students to interact.
The directors of Auburn Global wanted to make the event as accessible as possible to their students, many of whom can’t or are unable to drive. Tiger Transit buses were provided to and from the event, making stops at student apartment complexes around campus.
When the students arrived, they were greeted by familiar faces: people in the Auburn community who are a part of an organization known as Auburn Family Friends, which works to match international students to families in the hopes of assimilating students to American customs and holidays. Both the families and students were encouraged to eat and fellowship along side one another, with free food offered and tables and chairs scattered around the barn.
The highlight of the night was a traditional lion dance performance, put on by the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu, based in Atlanta. The school, founded by Kung Fu expert Gary Marshall, has performed lion dances across the Southeast for twenty-two years.
Marshall learned the art of Kung Fu when he was eight years old and hasn’t stopped learning since. From 1989-1993, Marshall lived in Taiwan, practicing Kung Fu and learning the ways of perfecting a lion dance performance. Two years after returning to the States, Marshall opened the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu and has done an average of fifty shows a year.
The performance was a hit among all audiences. Marshall gave a brief history on lion dancing and cautioned parents on holding their children, as the lions could seem life-like during the show. The performers wore bright, glittering pants and then put on large, lion head costumes. The costumes created the illusion of two independent lions, who danced in unison to the banging of a drum and cymbals. During the show, the lions blinked their eyes, moved their ears and interacted with audience members to create the illusion of coming to life. After completing the performance, Marshall and his performers took volunteers from the audience who wanted to try lion dancing themselves.
To end the evening, sparklers were handed out by Charus Campbell, director, and Dawn Sherman, managing director. Children and students alike lit their sparklers with the tee-kea torches scattered along the lake shore, laughing with one another. Sparklers were used to write words in the air with the glow from the light.
Overall, the event saw over 100 students and families celebrate the Lunar New Year together. The goal of the Auburn Global program is to help international undergraduate and graduate students get accustomed to university life in the United States. Auburn Global was started in 2015 and continues to provide academic and social support to the students in its program.
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