“Lunar New Year is just like Christmas. It’s the beginning of a new year, and many people hold special traditions and values to this holiday. I still vividly remember all my childhood memories relating to this holiday, as Chinese schools usually have a month off to celebrate the new year. Having this background and memory, I always feel lonely and bitter when I see my families and friends posting pictures of them reuniting during this day while I’m still in class, pretending it’s just like any other day.” said junior Cathy He. She continued, “This holiday is more than a holiday to me. It’s a part of my identity that reminds me of where I came from.”
I believe that Lunar New Year, Diwali, and Eid Mubarak should all be added to The Masters School calendar of holidays. I can’t remember the last time I was able to truly celebrate Lunar New Year because I’ve always had to go to school instead of being with my family. Because I’m not able to be at home to celebrate, I feel out of touch with my Korean identity and heritage. I’m not able to spend Lunar New Year with my 85 year old Halabeoji, or eat my Halmonee’s delicious Tteokguk, a rice cake soup, with my extended family. I don’t even remember anymore how to play Yutnori, a popular Korean New Year board game. What other memories have I forgotten? What memories have I never made?
As important as Lunar New Year is to my culture, Diwali and Eid are just as meaningful to members of the Hindu and Muslim communities, and I would like to learn more about them and appreciate them as well. Being able to observe Lunar New Year, Diwali, and Eid would ensure that students within the Masters community stay in touch with their cultural heritages. Furthermore, the importance of their cultures would be recognized by the larger community and support the feeling of belonging among students.
If we had these important holidays off, students would no longer need to make the difficult choice between celebrating their cultural traditions and attending school. For those that miss school to observe their holidays, they have to catch up on assignments and make up tests they missed, while balancing the current workload. This adds stress for students, when a holiday is supposed to be a time for relaxation and joy, and is detrimental to student mental health at a time when teen mental health is such a great concern for so many.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York signed legislation on Sep. 7, 2023 establishing Asian Lunar New Year as a state holiday for all New York state public schools. This new law that mandates statewide school closures on Lunar New Year was introduced a few months after Diwali was added to the calendar of public holidays in New York City by Mayor Eric Adams. Eid Mubarak has been observed in New York City Public schools since 2016.
I hope that the Masters school community, which prides itself on its diverse student body and inclusive values, will consider following the example of the public school mandated observances and include these holidays in our own school calendar. I realize that removing classroom days from the school calendar presents challenges, but am confident that a working solution can be reached if we try. We are living in an increasingly interdependent world, and the more we understand one another, the more successful we will be in creating a more harmonious future. As we are approaching winter break, I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season with family and loved ones.
