On Feb. 18, the Chinese Student Organization will host a Chinese New Year’s Party at the Wesley Foundation.

“In China, we have the separate Chinese year,” Gavin Xie, freshman engineering major, said. “Family and friends gather.”

The celebration lasts for 15 days, beginning with the new moon on the first day of the New Year and ending on the full moon 15 days later.

“We are celebrating the festival which is the first day of lunar year,” Ami Wang, senior accounting major said. “It is actually Feb. 2, but we delayed it to Feb. 18 because of class.”

Wang explained that this year is the year of the rabbit.

“In China, [there are] 12 animals symbolizing 12 years that go around,” she said. “We are born and have a symbol animal. If this is your year, you have to wear red against the bad luck.”

Wang also said that the 12 animals come from a traditional Chinese story which narrates a race between many animals. The animals represented in the Chinese years are the ones that arrived first in this race.

The lunar festival is the biggest in China. Wang, as well as other Chinese students at WTAMU, want to celebrate this occasion like they would in their country.

“[The Chinese New Year’s Party] makes me feel at home,” Harry Pan, finance and economics graduate student, said.

Wang explained that one of the reasons they decided to host this party is because they do not want to forget their culture.

“We want to keep traditions,” she said. “We [have] about 50 Chinese students in WT, with Taiwanese [students] we are like 80.”

The party will include several Chinese folklore, gifts and traditions.

“We are going to sing some songs, have folk dance and Tai Chi, which is like a Chinese Kung Fu,” Pan said.

Students are invited to join the festivities on Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m.