8 things to do in Cambridge for Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year! This will be my first Lunar New Year away from home, and to keep the FOMO from the fun of my favourite festival away, here are 8 (yay, auspicious number!) things you can do to celebrate the New Year in Cambridge— which may even help you start new traditions with your friends.

1. Decorate (and clean) your room

Gotta do everything we can to manifest good luck in the Year of the Tiger (Image Credits: Bei Le Ng)

To combat homesickness blues, why not aggressively deck the halls in red? There is nothing more festive than bright red lanterns, paper cut-outs, and well-wishing couplets to generate immaculate New Year vibes.

Don’t forget to do your spring cleaning before the first day of Lunar New Year to chase away the bad and the dirty!

2. Take outfit shots with friends around Cambridge

Light academia can definitely be a New Year-appropriate aesthetic (Image Credits: Rosie Smart-Knight)

It’s traditional to wear new clothes from head to toe for the Chinese during Lunar New Year, although a recycled but brightly coloured fit is still equally deserving of a place in a corny Lunar New Year ‘family’ portrait.

From College grounds to the Cam, you can definitely take enough photos around Cambridge to rival your friends and family on social media.

3. Visit your friends’ rooms to bai nian

Now that your room is decorated and your fit is fire, you’re ready for the Lunar New Year house visits! Even though it’s probably just your friends’ rooms you’re visiting, you can still exchange your pairs of mandarin oranges, and practise your auspicious greetings at the same time.

Although, it’s probably important to remind you not to expect red envelopes from your friends since they’re typically only given out by married couples. And no, I’m not sure if college-marriage counts.

4. Go for college – and society – organised Lunar New Year events

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From Lunar New Year art and chill sessions at Homerton to Lunar New Year themed formals at King’s, colleges and societies all around Cambridge are putting up fun programmes to get us into the mood.

5. Make your own New Year foods

Cambridge may be far from home for a lot of us, but food definitely helps shorten the metaphorical distance. A comforting bowl of tteokguk or gyp-friendly handmade dumplings will most probably teleport you back home with your loved ones.

6. Have friends over for a big hotpot dinner…

We love eating food and feeling like chefs at the same time (Image Credits: Hannah Huang)

I personally think all the food is the best part of Lunar New Year. And hey— this year, you can finally avoid the awkward questions from relatives about your relationship status.

7. … or just visit a hotpot restaurant

There are so many restaurants in Cambridge which offer an all-you-can-eat hotpot deal— like Spring Restaurant on Mill Road, Seven Days on Regent Street, or Chinese Canteen near John’s, although these will come up to about £18-20 for each person.

8. End off the night in the club

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Definitely not traditional, but the vibes will most definitely be great. The Chinese New Year Club Night hosted by CUMSA, ABACUS and CUMaS will even feature cheesy but beloved Chinese New Year songs.

Besides, it’s a Cambridge New Year this time, so we might as well integrate Cambridge elements into our celebrations. (Although I would prefer not to have supo over Lunar New Year.)

Feature image credits: Bilyana Tomova, edited by Claudia Cox and Rui En Pok

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• Trip to the Gyp: Chinese Edition!
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