425th FS celebrates new year

  • Published
  • By Airman David Owsianka
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar. This year, the first day of the Chinese New Year is Feb 3.

"My understanding is that in Singapore, the Chinese New Year is celebrated primarily with family," said Lt. Col. Michael Dean, 425th Fighter Squadron commander. "For the Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel deployed here, the opportunity to celebrate with their immediate families is not available, so we combine our efforts to have a large celebration with everyone."

Servicemembers and their families from the 425th Fighter Squadron came together to bring in the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese New Year's Eve Feb. 2 with a celebration at the Luke Air Force Base Club Five Six.

There were several traditional ceremonies performed in front of a crowd of 260 people at Club Five Six to bring in the Chinese New Year.

The first ceremony was the Suckling Pig Cutting Ceremony. Roasted suckling pig is a delicacy in Chinese banquets, especially during traditional Chinese festivals. The cutting of roasted suckling pig symbolizes a new start of a New Year, and it is also used to bring a blessing in the Year of the Rabbit.

Everyone took part in the Law Yu Sheng ceremony by standing around their tables.
Yu sheng meaning "raw fish" is a Chinese New Year dish, served traditionally on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, or Ren Ri, "Everyman's Birthday." It is a salad dish made of thin slices of raw fish and various spices. After the ingredients are mixed together, participants lift some of the yu sheng with their chop sticks and slowly drop it back to the plate for prosperity, longevity and good wishes for the New Year.

Ang Pao is a traditional way of wishing and blessing the receiver. During Ang Pao red packets with money are given to people as a way to suppress or put down the evil spirit during this period.

In addition to the red packets, small gifts are also exchanged between friends or relatives. During the celebration here, Mandarin oranges were given to people.
Having two foreign squadrons can enrich Airmen's experiences while being at Luke, according to Lt. Col. Quy Nguyen, 56th Comptroller Squadron commander.

"It gives us an appreciation of how important our relationship with the 425th FS is from a training and an international standpoint," he said. "Events such as this help us understand and appreciate the culture of the 425th FS. We will become more effective when we are engaging with other foreign partners in the future as we connect better with our foreign partners here."

For Colonel Dean, it was a great opportunity to meet RSAF family members and have them participate in a squadron event.

"I was also honored to have my parents in attendance and enjoyed explaining to them the traditions and history specific to the 425th Fighter Squadron."

The turnout was phenomenal, according to Colonel Dean. "We are all one big family here and the opportunity to experience cultural differences is always unique."