Lunar New Year celebrations in Aurora, Colorado: All you need to know
How To Celebrate Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year is officially celebrated on February 1st. Around the world, people bid farewell to the Year of the Ox and welcomed the Year of the Tiger.
The Lunar New Year, often known as “Chinese New Year,” is recognized in China and many other Asian nations, as well as by Asian immigrant groups across the world, on the second new moon following the winter solstice.
The festival, according to Harry Budisidharta, director of Aurora’s Asian Pacific Development Center, “is a terrific opportunity to be together with family and loved ones to celebrate the past year and welcome in the new year.” “Many of the acts and foods are centered on bringing money, good fortune, and blessings to yourself and your family.”
Each year is allotted a Chinese zodiac animal, with the cycle repeating every 12 years. In 2010 and 1998, the tiger was last sighted. In Chinese mythology, the feline is connected with courage and strength, both of which are desirable attributes after two years that have required a lot of both.
Family reunions are common around the holiday, with extended relatives travelling to see one other and throw festivities. Red envelopes containing money are usually given to children as a sign of good luck and wealth for the next year. There are also fireworks displays and massive parades in several locales. With the entrance of the pandemic, which began to spread rapidly in China just before the new year of 2020 arrived, many of those celebrations were cancelled or drastically reduced.
The lack of opportunity to exhibit cultural pride was felt in America as well, as hate crimes against Asian-Americans increased throughout the epidemic, fueled in many cases by racist discourse around COVID-19’s origins. Budisidharta believes that when the epidemic fades, the chance to spend time with loved ones and celebrate Asian ancestry becomes even more vital.
“It’s a great opportunity to show your pride and appreciate the positive aspects of the culture,” he explained.
Budisidharta’s family did not celebrate Lunar New Year as a child in Indonesia since the government forbade the country’s ethnic Chinese population from celebrating the festival or practicing other Chinese rituals. Now that he has the opportunity to spend time with his family, he says he is looking forward to passing on the holiday traditions to his two-year-old son. He explained, “Kids adore the fortunate red envelope because you get money!”
This week in Aurora, there are various ways to ring in the new year. A lion dance and fireworks will be performed at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 5 at Sharetea Aurora, 2495 S. Havana Street. It will also introduce a new drink for the occasion, as well as offer free presents with every purchase while supplies last.
The Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center will conduct a lion dance and drum performance at Stanley Marketplace on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Inside, at Chi Lin Asian Eatery, the festivities will continue with the distribution of red envelopes.
The Far East Center in Denver will have a celebration outside Truong An Gifts, located at 333 S. Federal Blvd. On the 5th and 6th of February, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be lion dances and martial arts demonstrations.
If you are unable to attend any of the events, you can always commemorate the occasion by dining in or ordering takeout from one of Aurora’s numerous locally owned Asian restaurants. Just remember to tip well, or you could be cursed for a year.
Best Place to Celebrate Lunar New Year in the United States
Chinatown, San Francisco: Chinatown is, without a doubt, a tourist trap most of the time, but what better time to embrace it than around Chinese New Year? San Francisco’s Chinatown, the largest outside of Asia and the oldest in the United States, knows how to put on a show during the Chinese New Year frenzy. A parade with more than 100 floats and several acts, including a 28-foot-long Golden Dragon float, are among the attractions planned for the 15-day celebration.
2022 Missouri Lunar New Year Celebration
A film commemorating Missouri’s Lunar New Year holiday is now available. The short video incorporates cultural performances as well as interviews with community leaders, and it promotes Asian traditions.
The most popular Asian event in the world is the Lunar New Year, which has been celebrated for hundreds of years. The Year of the Tiger, which represents boldness, generosity, and strength, began on Feb. 1, 2022, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Missouri Governor Mike Parson has signed a proclamation honouring the Lunar New Year celebration.
“To put it in perspective, the Lunar New Year is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s all wrapped into one,” said Anna Hui, director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. “It shares a lot of similarities with previous holidays, such as a focus on family, cuisine, and gift-giving.” “The Lunar New Year honours the ideals of family and connection, and Missourians exemplify these qualities.”
On Jan. 25, Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe and Director Hui hosted a live celebration in the Missouri State Capitol, which is included in the video. Traditional performances by students from the St. Louis Chinese Language School and the Chinese Language School of Columbia were included during the live event. This Flickr album contains photos from that occasion.
A digital flipbook to accompany the film is also accessible at labor.mo.gov/lunar-new-year, along with other relevant resources. Additional information about Lunar New Year celebrations, including traditional customs, dishes, and recipes, may be found in the interactive document.
All you need to know about Lunar New Year
The United States government is considering to make the Lunar New Year federal holiday.
Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat from New York, has introduced legislation to declare the day, which falls on February 1 this year in China, sections of Asia, and Asian diaspora populations across the world, the US’s 12th legally recognised holiday. It would be the first since President Joe Biden signed a law in June last year making Juneteenth an official holiday.
Meng told The Washington Post, “It really sends a strong signal to the Asian American community — as the fastest-growing group in this nation — that they are cherished and regarded as [part of] the fabric that makes up this society.”
The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in China, began on Tuesday, but the celebrations will go for more than two weeks, with feasts, family reunions, street parades, and pilgrimages to shrines.
The conclusion of the Year of the Ox and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger were commemorated this week.
Local Schools Celebrate Lunar New Year After Two Years
Celebrations for the Year of the Tiger, commonly known as the Chinese Lunar New Year, are begun as we enter the new month. Many Chinese and Asian nations observe the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar.
The lunar calendar allocates an animal to each of the 12 revolving zodiac signs. We bid farewell to the ox and welcome the Year of the Tiger, which begins on February 1st.
“We know the tiger is a monarch of the animal world, which implies the king would defend the people,” says Jing Zhang, founder of the Bangor Chinese School. “It gives a human being wise, positive, and cheerful things.”
Zhang relocated to Bangor from Beijing, China, more than 20 years ago. According to her, the occasion is recognised for celebrating good fortune, wealth, family get-togethers, and traditional food.
“There are a lot of things going on.” “There’s a large table of food to share, firecrackers are let off, and then they knock on the door wishing everyone a Happy New Year,” Zhang explained. Chun “Lily” Crane, a Chinese teacher at Bangor High School, said it’s a time to enjoy as well as educate.
“The red envelope is often presented by parents to children, but it can also be handed by young people to the elderly,” Crane explained. “It’s a good luck emblem.” Every year, I give this to my pupils so they may view the money and learn about the currency.”
Crane’s pupils sampled everything from fried rice to oranges and lanterns to get a flavour of Chinese culture.
“I try to bring in elements I know and enjoy about the culture a lot of the time,” Crane added. “I want to share with them so they can get a hands-on experience learning the language while also learning about the culture.”
On Saturday, Feb. 5, the Bangor Chinese school will celebrate the Year of the Tiger at Husson University.