This past week, my mom asked me to come home on Lunar New Year to celebrate with our family and distant relatives who I haven’t seen for years. It’s one of the most important times of the year for my family and many others — it’s a chance to reconnect, honor traditions and share a meal together. However, when I looked at NYU’s academic calendar, I realized I couldn’t go home. With the holiday on a Wednesday, classes and assignments meant that I couldn’t take the day off without risking falling behind. 

As one of the most diverse universities in the world whose largest minority population is Asian, recognizing Lunar New Year as a school holiday would allow the school to celebrate a myriad of cultures and identities. Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and many more. Yet, NYU has not taken the necessary steps to acknowledge this holiday, which is celebrated by millions around the world, including a substantial portion of our student body. By not recognizing this holiday, NYU is disregarding the cultural observances of a large sector of its student body.

In China, Lunar New Year is widely considered to be the most important of the country’s traditional holidays, and it is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors and celebrating a new beginning. The holiday celebrates the transition from the current Chinese Zodiac year to the next, ringing in the change with good food and symbols of good fortune. For many, it is regarded as the most important holiday of the year, with the Lunar New Year broadcast being the most-watched television program in the world. Between eating festive meals, opening envelopes — colored red for prosperity — filled with money, and making offerings of food and incense, the Lunar New Year is like Christmas and New Year wrapped into one. However, many NYU students might not be able to celebrate this year.

Asian American students make up a significant portion of NYU’s diverse student body, with the incoming class of 2028 having 27% of students identify as Asian American. This, in combination with the around 6,000 undergraduate international Chinese students, means that there are thousands of NYU students that celebrate the Lunar New Year and would benefit from the university recognizing the holiday.

For first-year Shuo Wu, this will be the first Lunar New Year without his family.

“Even though it only takes two hours for me to take the subway back home to eat hot pot with my family for Chinese New Year, I can’t,” said Wu. “I have evening classes and a lot of homework and studying to do.” 

For those who can’t go home, the annual Lunar New Year parades in Chinatown, Flushing and on Brooklyn’s Eight Avenue are attended by thousands of people. The areas hold many events such as traditional lion dances, martial arts performances, elaborate floats, calligraphy workshops and samplings of Chinese cuisine. But without the day off, far too many students aren’t able to participate in these events.

In an effort to amend this, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation to declare Lunar New Year as an official school holiday for all New York state public schools, recognizing the importance of the holiday for the state’s large Asian American population. 

“By designating Lunar New Year as an official school holiday, we are taking an important step in recognizing the importance of New York’s AAPI community and the rich diversity that makes New York so great,” Hochul said. “It is not just a day off from school — it is an opportunity for our children to learn about and celebrate their own or different cultures and traditions.” 

This move is a step in the right direction to acknowledge the contributions of Asian communities and provide an opportunity to celebrate their heritage. NYU should follow the example of public schools in New York and provide the same recognition. They can also model the policies toward the Lunar New Year after other universities, such as Columbia University, that have recognized cultural observances for years.

This isn’t a call for special treatment; we are asking for respect and acknowledgment of a holiday that is as culturally significant for many Asian Americans as Christmas or Thanksgiving. By giving us a day off to celebrate Lunar New Year, NYU would show us that they’re taking a step toward equity, respect and inclusivity. Every student deserves the right to celebrate this important time of the year without having to stress over schoolwork.

WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.

Contact Steven Wang at [email protected].