Paper lanterns adorned the walls of Centennial Towers lounge. Bowl after bowl of food covered the tables lined up against the wall as groups of students entered the room.

A record 120 people filled Towers lounge for the celebration of Vietnamese New Year, sponsored by the Vietnamese Student Alliance.

Students from the University of Denver stood in line for food while others sat down to watch the Lion Dance that traditionally starts the Vietnamese New Year’s celebration. The dancers began the performance on the dance floor, then moved out among the crowd.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated by over 1/3 of the world, in countries including Vietnam and China.

Following the Lion Dance by the Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy, DU students performed two dances and a fashion show, showcasing traditional Vietnamese dress. The celebration also included karaoke, games and traditional Vietnamese food.

“This is our biggest celebration that [we’ve] had,” VSA President Vy Nguyen said of her four years at DU. “Most of us grew up in America [so] it’s a chance to bring back some of the tradition and celebrate our culture.”

On both sides of the stage, green trees were decorated with little red envelopes and yellow flowers that only bloom at the beginning of the year.

“This is hoa mai,” fourth year student member, Kim Trang, said. “In Vietnam, every family has a display and hangs the red envelopes on the tree.”

The red envelopes carry money that brings children good luck.

Interspersed among the DU crowd were students from the Denver community, including University of Colorado at Boulder, Regis University and the University of Colorado at Denver.

Sophomore Kyle Ridge from Metropolitan State College of Denver said, “It’s nice to have cultural experiences at DU.”

Ridge, whose friend goes to DU, was impressed by the members’ devotion to the DU event.

“I wish they had things like this at Metro,” he said. “They do, not just to this extent.”