Dear readers, Amid the smell of gingerbread and the shimmering of vibrant Christmas lights, the New Year has arrived! As the New Year’s Eve ball dropped in Times Square, joy filled the air. Spectators held their breath a little during the countdown, then jumped and hugged and shouted with joy as the first moment of 2014 arrived. I am so glad to be able to celebrate this holiday with you again through writing. Happy New Year and best wishes for the coming year, my friends! January 1 may be New Year’s Day on the Gregorian calendar followed by many countries around the globe, but there are plenty of other cultural and religious New Years that are observed as well. For example, there is the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah, the Thai New Year Songkran, and the Korean New Year Seollal, which are based on different calendar systems. Of course, we also have the Chinese New Year — the Spring Festival. It is based on the lunar calendar, and is one of the most festive, and my favorite, holidays of the year. In the United States, although the Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, it is still largely celebrated by Chinese communities. In local towns, organized performances of traditional Chinese arts for the entire community are held. On college campuses, many club associations host dinners and get-togethers with Chinese food and games around the time of the Chinese New Year. In China town, extravagant parades march down the streets, showcasing lion and dragon dances along the way. These festivities are not only true of Chinatown in New York, but also of those in Los Angeles, Honolulu and so on. However, the scale of the celebrations here doesn’t match that of those in China. The absence of many traditional foods, the posting of red couplets, and the showing of Spring Festival performances in the evening (since there’s around a 12-hour time difference) takes away some of the essence of the holiday, but it is nonetheless a much-anticipated festival. I am excited for the New Year, the upcoming celebrations, and I hope you are feeling just as refreshed and revitalized on this day. Cheers to 2014! Sincerely, Bingyin | 