Nearly a month into 2025, a round of celebrations swept the world again in late January. Lunar New Year celebrates the beginning of the new year according to Lunar calendars – that is, calendars that are based on the cycles of the moon. Most celebrations fall on late January to early February. This year, January 29th saw the beginning of the Year of the Snake.
Naturally, Trinity‘s vibrant student body celebrated the occasion in style as well. A variety of societies honoured the Lunar New Year with themed events.
The Southeast Asian Society (DUSEAS) honoured the occasion by hosting their traditional dinner party off-campus. “This year, we collaborated with RCSI Southeast Asian Society, Malaysian Student Association of Ireland (MYSAI), and Malaysian Medics International Ireland and had dinner and karaoke in Han Yang Court” says Paul O’Brien. The secretary of the society points to the large Chinese influence on the celebration, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore.
Trinity’s Korean Society had organised a series of seven Seollal-themed events over the course of three weeks. These included a dinner and karaoke party at the Drunken Fish, a Korean-style pub and restaurant, as well as language workshops, a dance class and collaborations with DU Gamers and KnitSoc. “I felt that it was very important to collaborate with societies who have the same interests but have not been accustomed to traditional games, such as gonggi, yut nori and go-stop, or seen norigae before”, says the chairperson of the society. Regarding the success of their events, she expresses that the society “popped off this year with providing a mixture of events and experiences by incorporating what people love as well as what they have never done before!”.
Seollal celebrates the beginning of the Korean new year, which typically lasts for three days. The celebration usually coincides with the Chinese New Year and incorporates numerous traditions, such as eating traditional foods and gestures honouring elders and ancestors.
While the South Asian Society did not celebrate the Lunar New Year this time of the year, they honour a variety of celebrations of South Asian countries that take place during other times of the year. “While these occur at different times of the year, they share the common themes of renewal, family, and festivity, much like Lunar New Year”, says a spokesperson for the society. Last November, the society collaborated with DUSEAS in their Diya painting event to honour Diwali, a festivity celebrated in India and Nepal.
Beyond Trinity, there were numerous celebrations that honoured the year of the snake around Dublin. Dublin Lunar New Year is an association that aims to strengthen the understanding of Asian culture and traditions in Dublin. This year, their extensive lineup of events included a variety of film screenings, workshops and the closing celebration on Sunday the 2nd of February in Temple Bar. An exhibition on the twelve zodiac animals is still on at the Chester Beatty until the 23rd of March. “It is fantastic to see how active Dublin is in terms of the Lunar New Year celebrations throughout the city”, says the chairperson of Trinity’s Korean Society.
While there is no one way to celebrate the Lunar New Year, it is often used synonymously with the Chinese New Year. The Chinese Lunar Calendar assigns an animal off their zodiac calendar to each year. This year is the year of the snake (which has to mean that Reputation Taylor’s Version will finally drop this year). Ultimately, Lunar New Year is an umbrella term for celebrations taking place throughout Asian cultures that celebrate traditions and new beginnings. With celebrations having come to a close this year, we can look forward to welcoming the year of the horse in February of 2026!
