Red Packet Popups celebrated the richness of Lunar New Year traditions and local culture

Hamilton recently saw its first-ever Lunar New Year market, a public event that invited the entire community to celebrate the holiday. Organized by Red Packet Popups, a Hamilton-based pop-up event company, in partnership with the Hamilton Chinese Association, the event provided a space for cultural engagement and connection.

The event took place from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2025, at Hamilton Artists Inc., a central and accessible venue located in the heart of downtown Hamilton. The programming was designed to welcome both those who celebrate the Lunar New Year as well as those interested in the traditions surrounding it.

The market featured a variety of activities, including a lion dance performance, a calligraphy demonstration by Andrew Ha, and a dumpling-making session led by Joyce of Cooking, who hosts cooking classes for all ages all throughout Hamilton. Malaysian-Canadian musician Eunice Keitan also performed in both Cantonese and English, drawing a crowd to experience the fusion of neo-soul and world-folk genres.

Red Packet Popups is a relatively new initiative that was created in the fall of 2024. "My mission is to organize pop up events around Hamilton, focusing on community engagement and cultural celebrations," shared Jaycee Tu, the founder of Red Packet Popups.

Tu explained that the name "Red Packet" is inspired by the Lunar New Year tradition of giving red envelopes, which symbolize luck, prosperity and goodwill. She views each event as a symbolic red packet—a gift of shared joy and connection to the community.

Tu, who moved to Hamilton from Toronto several years ago, noted that she was surprised by the lack of Lunar New Year events in the city. “It’s my family’s biggest holiday of the year, so I was looking for places to celebrate. I was seeing celebrations in Oakville and Burlington but not in Hamilton,” said Tu.

It’s my family’s biggest holiday of the year, so I was looking for places to celebrate. I was seeing celebrations in Oakville and Burlington but not in Hamilton.

Jaycee Tu, Founder
Red Packet Popups

After waiting to see if an event would emerge, Tu decided to take initiative herself. Tu noted how having a child of her own instilled a sense of urgency and motivated her to start a new tradition. "Having a kid made me think about things in different way. I want to be able to raise my child in a city that celebrates her culture," said Tu.

The planning process was not without challenges. As a new organization, Red Packet Popups had to work hard to spread the word. “We had to do some very targeted, face-to-face outreach,” said Tu, explaining that their team compiled a list of Asian-run businesses and artists to invite to the event.

Additionally, the market was organized with no external funding. Despite these hurdles, Tu and her team were able to bring together a strong selection of vendors and performers.

More than 630 people attended the event throughout the day, a turnout that Tu described as both surprising and affirming. "We were expecting a much larger drop in numbers, but people showed up. The community showed up. Maybe we shouldn't have been shocked, but we were floored and so happy," said Tu.

We were expecting a much larger drop off, but people showed up. The community showed up. Maybe we shouldn't have been shocked, but we were floored and so happy.

Jaycee Tu, Founder
Red Packet Popups

While the event prioritized Asian-run businesses, Tu emphasized the importance of balancing cultural authenticity while making the celebration open to the wider Hamilton community. Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity was also a priority for the organizers. “We made it free because we didn’t want there to be any barriers,” said Tu.

We made it free because we didn’t want there to be any barriers,

Jaycee Tu, Founder
Red Packet Popups

Reflecting on the event’s success, Tu noted that it reinforced a sense of belonging in Hamilton. “After Sunday’s turnout, it’s clear to me that the city does embrace and celebrate our culture,” she said. “It just affirmed that Hamilton is home for me now.”

With such a strong response from the community, Red Packet Popups and the Hamilton Chinese Association plan to continue the Lunar New Year market as an annual tradition, growing it further in the years to come. The Hamilton Chinese Association regularly holds events, including an upcoming Chinese paper cutting workshop. Updates on future events from Red Packet Popups can be found on their social media.

McMaster's second annual Cultural Fest held in the MUSC atrium celebrates McMaster's diverse student groups

Cultural Fest took place on Oct. 30, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as part of the programming for International Education Week. Seventeen different clubs had tables set up in the atrium of the McMaster University Student Centre. This event was organized by the McMaster International and Exchange Students Club in partnership with the Student Success Centre.

Each club showcased their culture and club events with poster boards, flags, books and slideshows. Some clubs also offered cultural foods to students.

Attendees were given a bingo card with all the clubs’ logos to encourage interaction. To complete the card, attendees had to participate in the activity offered by each club. These activities included trivia, drawing and trying on traditional clothing. MIX, the McMaster International and Exchange Students Club, provided treat bags or cupcakes as prizes for completing at least eight activities.

Humphrey Erizo, the co-president of MIX, explained that the idea for the event was modelled after Clubs Fest, which is held by the MSU during the first week of school.

“A lot of cultural clubs get to hold their booths [at Clubs Fest] but we have to kind of divide the attention of the people. Usually people who come to our booths or the booths of specific [cultural clubs], they come there because they are from that specific culture and so we don’t necessarily get that kind of a broader audience,” said Erizo.

Cultural Fest offers an opportunity for clubs to engage with students in a more focused setting. This event also emphasizes education about the cultures represented in addition to promoting club activities and events.

“Having culture fest concentrates it a little bit. When people who are not necessarily from any of the cultures that we have present in the event, when they see the crowd . . . they become interested . . . they get to learn about all of the clubs that are there,” said Erizo.

When people who are not necessarily from any of the cultures that we have present in the event, when they see the crowd . . . they become interested . . . they get to learn about all of the clubs that are there.

Humphrey Erizo, co-president
McMaster International and Exchange Students Club

Matt Min, one of MIX’s events coordinators, said that his favourite part of the event was meeting people from the various clubs. “I really enjoyed the fact that I got to like just talk with a lot of other clubs that I didn't know even existed. It’s really cool seeing how much I’m missing out on . . . I think talking to people with different cultures is a really cool thing. It helps me educate myself,” said Min.

Erizo shared that the Student Success Centre provided financial support and managed registration for the event. “Because it was so successful last year … the Student Success Centre caught wind of it and a sub-department of SSC which is McMaster’s international and exchange office. They coordinated a lot with us this year,” Erizo.

Min said that the number of clubs involved increased from 12 to 17 since last year. “Maybe it’ll just keep increasing. Maybe we’ll eventually have not enough space to help everybody. Seeing that diversity was really really cool,” said Min.

Maybe it’ll just keep increasing. Maybe we’ll eventually have not enough space to help everybody. Seeing that diversity was really really cool.

Matt Min, events coordinator
McMaster International and Exchange Students Club

Erizo further commented on Cultural Fest’s success and shared that roughly 450 people attended the event.  “We hope to keep holding it. Even though it’s only been held two times, it’s quickly become a staple for our club,” said Erizo.

Although MIX is targeted towards international and exchange students, Erizo said they encourage domestic students to attend their events as well, especially if you are interested in going on exchange. MIX holds a variety of events throughout the year, including an upcoming pub night which will be held on Nov. 7, 2024 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Phoenix.

Being bilingual can help you in many aspects of life from personal development to job prospects

Multicultural education is essential especially for people who are actively involved in such a diverse region like the Greater Toronto Area. Being aware and respectful of different cultures promotes inclusion and uplifts students of different backgrounds, setting them up for success in their future.  

There are several ways to immerse yourself in a culture from reading about it to sampling their tasty specialties. But one unique way to learn is by picking up a new language. I strongly believe that learning a new language should be a task on everyone’s to do list as it bridges gaps between communities and contributes in personal development.  

Being able to speak a culture’s tongue helps you communicate with them in a manner that is the most familiar and comfortable for them. Approximately 17.20 per cent of McMaster students have an international student status.  

These students experience a huge culture shock upon entering a foreign country and many face language barriers. As a result, they will often seek people of similar backgrounds to them. This can be harmful as it creates a gap within the campus community and does not allow for these students as it stops them from communicating with other cultural groups, or practicing the language native to the country they have come to.   

Being able to communicate with these students in their language can help them come out of their bubble gradually. You can help them avoid the culture shock by integrating bits of their culture within the relevant community. In this manner, they will feel more confident and open to the idea of immersing themselves into this new culture.  

Furthermore, being bilingual, trilingual or even a polyglot helps tremendously in ones personal life. The common belief is that having more than one language under your belt helps secure better job opportunities. This is true as in an exponentially diverse and inclusive world, employers are keen on their candidates having such a skillset so that they are able to communicate with customers of several backgrounds and with overseas markets.  

Before moving on to a completely novel language, you can also expand your fluency in your mother tongue. Approximately 17.6 per cent of Canadians are second generation immigrants. As second generation immigrant myself, I sometimes feel disconnected from my mother tongue as I spend most of my day communicating in English.  

As a result, this makes feel disconnected from my culture and I find this concerning because if this is how I feel now, how disconnected will the generations that come after me be?  

So in order to keep your mother and father’s culture(s) alive in you and the generations that will come after you, it is important to stay connected to your mother tongue by continually improving your fluency in the language.  

It may seem daunting at first trying to learn a new language from scratch. However, once you overcome one barrier it is usually smooth sailing from there as you begin to make connections between the structures of languages and vocabulary, allowing you to learn multiple languages.  

Knowing more than one language is a unique skillset that is currently in demand. Not only does it bring together different cultures, but improves the soft skills of a person who pursues it. Being bilingual or beyond will open new doors for you and you will also find that it makes exploring new cities and watching foreign TV shows much more enjoyable.

Being a student at McMaster allows for an education in diversity.

A wide range of faculties and specializations, a campus with century-old architecture, and a central location in a popular city lend McMaster the potential to provide their students with a diverse knowledge of people, places and careers. But what resources are available to ensure that our students are well informed on modern diversity issues? What type of diversity is protected and promoted in our community?

“Diversity Week [is an] opportunity for dialogue, engagement, entertainment, equity, and ensuring that students feel like their different needs are being met,” explains Israa Ali, Director of Diversity Services.

Diversity Week is a series of events hosted by the MSU Diversity Services during the week of Jan. 13 - 17. The weeklong event has been on hiatus since 2007 when they were struck with the obstacle of downsizing. But with the organization’s 10 anniversary coming up this March, it seemed fitting to resurrect the tradition.

The student-run organization Diversity Services describes themselves as an “advocate for an inclusive environment in which all students feel welcome and free to embrace their identity,” according to their online mantra.

Abilities, Gender Equity, Indigenous Affairs, Interfaith, and Multiculturalism are the five pillars that unite Diversity into one unique term, according to the campus organization.

“The five pillars cover the different identities of students. By sharing those and shedding light on them, we’re allowing them to embrace their identity through that approach,” adds Ali.

Diversity Week has assigned each day of the week one of the five pillars, starting with Abilities on Monday, and ending with Multiculturalism on Friday.

Diversity seems to be an issue rooted in McMaster’s student body and current location, but encompassing ideas of equity and inclusivity may not always be at the forefront.

“This year we are trying to define what our partnership is with hospitality services over [Bridges] café,” says Ali.

Their first step in re-establishing a visible connection with the restaurant includes changing the current selection of posters.
“Although nice… they don’t really foster the inclusiveness and diversity, that the space is meant to promote,” she explains.

The vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurant-café is labeled as a collaboration between Hospitality Services and Diversity Services. But aside from the Diversity office in the basement, there is no visible connection between the two. The organization is also looking to promote the diverse cuisine, including the selection of kosher foods, making it one of the only kosher-serving restaurants in Hamilton.

After Diversity Services’s full-time staff was eliminated a few years ago, their new part-time team has been working hard to ensure that the organization is well represented and making the most of their position.

Although a wide range of faculties and access to a popular city may emphasize a certain type of diversity, Diversity Services would like to see McMaster take a more serious step towards truly embracing the variety of identities and students on campus.

“We need to understand that diversity services, and anything related to equity and inclusiveness, really needs to have a bigger space on campus,” says Ali.

Diversity Week is the first step the organization is taking to create a larger space for equity issues. With a variety of events happening this week, hopefully our student community will take advantage of its diverse identities and work to embrace a new definition of diversity.

Photo by Eliza Pope / Assistant Photo Editor