Published Date: 02/16/2006

Lunar New Year falls on the first day of the first moon and is celebrated by 2.3 billion people across Asia. The exact dates and ways to celebrate vary across countries, but one common theme takes center stage for all Asian New Year festivities: family. The ING Asian-American Network brought this tradition to life at ING by hosting celebrations in Atlanta and Des Moines.

In Atlanta, the network invited all employees to a colorful Chinese New Year celebration on Feb. 10 to welcome the Year of the Dog. Hundreds of attendees enjoyed an impressive spread of Chinese sweets, folk music, vibrant decorations, information displays, and a Chinese New Year documentary on the media wall. Employees also had the chance to win Chinese zodiac animal stencils designed by local artist Xi Lee. But the crowning attraction was the “Lion Dance,” performed by Chinese students from Georgia Tech who wowed the crowd with wild acrobatics, to the sound of live drums.

David Wheat, CFO of ING Insurance Americas, who serves as the ING Asian-American Network’s executive sponsor, was present at the event. Wheat considers that the network’s sponsorship of cultural events, such as Lunar New Year celebrations, benefits the company and employees.

“Our employee networks are an important part of business strategy in the U.S., and it’s a pleasure to be a part of this celebration,” he said.“As a global company, ING operates in many Asian countries, so it is important for us to understand the business and the culture in Asia. It’s also important to understand the cultural background of the Asian-American population living here in the U.S., particularly those working at ING.”

“The Lion Dance is believed to bring good luck and happiness,” said Hsiao-Wei Tang, chair of the Atlanta ING Asian-American Network. “We wanted to give employees the opportunity to witness this Chinese tradition, as well as to learn a little bit more about the culture and our company’s businesses in Asia.”

The network was also present at the Atlanta National Association of Chinese-Americans’ (NACA) New Year celebration on Feb. 4, which provided our company with unprecedented exposure in the Atlanta Chinese-American community. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox and the Honorable Zheng Zeguang, minister and deputy chief of mission in the U.S. for the People’s Republic of China. ING shared the spotlight with Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, the Home Depot and UPS, among other companies.

Another dazzling Lunar New Year celebration was sponsored by the Des Moines chapter on Jan. 27 for a rapt audience of over 350 employees. The event focused on the different ways Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year — from cleaning the home to eliminate evil spirits in China, to playing with water in Thailand, and visiting local monasteries in Cambodia. The network provided a graphic educational display, a video documentary and traditional food samples, including lo-mein, egg rolls and sweets. Employees also had the opportunity to participate in a trivia contest.

Among the highlights were the traditional dances performed by the Tai-Dam troupe (an ethnic group from Vietnam), and the presence of local artist Zhisheng Qing, who provided demonstrations of Chinese calligraphy to dozens of employees.

“The Lunar New Year is a huge event in Asia. It was a pleasure to share the celebration with ING,” said Von Tuazon, local network chair. “We’re delighted with the feedback we’ve received from employees, thanking us for enlightening them. We’re also thankful for the support we received from the other employee networks.”

“This was a huge success for the newly formed Des Moines ING Asian-American Network. They did a wonderful job representing each and every culture, in a variety of ways," said Nathan Ritz, a training and development specialist who attended the celebration.

In addition, the New York network held a membership drive and recruited 52 new members.