Lunar New Year Celebration
Written for the Realogics Sotheby’s Int. Realty blog
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If you’re out walking the streets of the International District on Saturday and you happen to run into a dragon, don’t be afraid. Instead, consider yourself lucky, because it means you’ve stumbled into the best party held there each year: Lunar New Year.
Besides just being a great party, Lunar New Year is the most important event in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The exact origin of the celebration varies depending on who’s telling the story, but here are the basics. Many years ago, there was a giant monster who preyed upon villagers in China. The lion-like monster’s name was Nian, which is also the Chinese word for “year.” The villagers sought counsel from a wise old man, who told them to scare the monster off by lighting firecrackers, playing drums, and decorating their homes with red paper cutouts. You see, the old man knew that Nian was frightened by the color red. The villagers took the old man’s advice and Nian was conquered. On the anniversary of his passing, people still celebrate. Literally, they are celebrating the passing of the Nian, or the year. The date of Chinese New Year changes each year because it is based on the lunar calendar, but it always occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice.
The Chinese are not the only ones to celebrate the Lunar New Year. In fact, it’s a holiday shared by many other Asians from countries such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Here in Seattle, these ethnicities are all represented in our own International District. According to the District’s web site, that’s a pretty special thing because it is the only neighborhood in America where Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asians live and work together, side-by-side.
It’s a great time to visit any time of the year, but especially during Lunar New Year. The festivities kick off on Saturday at 9 am and there’s something for everyone. You can look forward to authentic cultural activities like calligraphy drawing and origami, as well as non-stop entertainment all day long in the form of Lion and Dragon dances, Taiko drumming, martial arts, and a children’s parade with costumes. But there’s more. Over 20 local restaurants will be offering a food walk with $2 tasting menu. So if you’ve always been wanting to try Vietnamese food or Cambodian food, now is your chance.
This promises to be a great celebration as it has been in years past. We hope to see you there! For more information, you can visit the Lunar New Year Celebration’s web site.