Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the Year of the Rat. Reader C told me about the New Year’s Eve celebration happening at the beautiful Thien Hau Temple in Chinatown, L.A., so I went down to check it out last night. The festivities included a lion dance and martial arts demonstration, which were excellent and very fun, and throngs of Buddhists burning incense and offering prayers. Too bad my camera did not capture it well. I did get some great video of a paparazzi-like crush upon the lions as people tried to pet them. I’ll load it once I figure out how to. Petting the lions was a highlight, also was stuffing money into a lion statue’s mouth.
Look in the back to see the lion with bills in its mouth.
Petting the lions who have entered the temple. Come back for my video of the mosh-pit like atmosphere. Very fun!
Lions dancing in the dark.
The San Gabriel Valley has a huge Lunar New Year Parade and Festival on Saturday, February 16, 2008, from 10 am to 5:30 pm on Valley between Almansor and Garfield, with the parade starting at 11 am. Don’t miss this! www.lunarnewyearparade.com/city_parade.htm
From the site:
The Festival will be held in the heart of one of the largest Chinese / American commercial districts in the southland. The one-day festivities attract about 50,000 people and consist of more than 250 booths. There are many theme-oriented venues giving attendees a taste of the Chinese culture. The food court is an ideal place to sample dishes from different regions. Admission is free.
