With performances from local schools, arts and crafts, and its lion dance, the City of San Carlos celebrated the Lunar New Year while emphasizing community engagement.
The Lunar New Year, a holiday observed by billions of people worldwide, is the beginning of the year for countries such as China and South Korea. It is a time to celebrate the new year with friends and family, the arrival of spring, and reflect on the past year. As for San Carlos, a city that just held their second Lunar New Year celebration, this time provides them with the opportunity to unite the community.
“What sets the San Carlos Lunar New Year Celebration apart is that this event is a wonderful collaboration between individuals and organizations across the city who are passionate about bringing San Carlos closer together,” said Victoria Cheng, the community organizer for the celebration.
With hundreds of people in attendance, San Carlos brought different cultures of the Bay Area together with a single celebration. This 15-day holiday is annually celebrated worldwide by over 2 billion culturally diverse people, and according to the National Museum of Asian Art, the people of China, Korea, and Vietnam are the ones most widely celebrating the holiday.
Viewed by many communities as one of the most important celebrations of the year, the Lunar New Year comes with countless different traditions, whether through spending time with family, hanging decorations, or cleaning one’s home.
“Lunar New Year is all about new beginnings, family, and traditions. This is a good time to clean out the old and bring in the new,” Cheng said.
Another popular tradition, especially among young children, is handing out red envelopes, symbolizing luck, prosperity, and good fortune.
“I always start and end the year with my family. We have a big meal, and I get to see everyone. We also always hand out red envelopes, which is fun for the kids,” said Amy Kwan, an attendee of San Carlos’ celebration.
According to the Chinese Learning Institute, red envelopes symbolize the older generation blessing the younger generation with good fortune. As a way to participate in this tradition, adult volunteers distributed red envelopes to children before the performances began.
This tradition was one of the many present at the celebration. It displayed San Carlos’ ability to cater a joyous event for everyone, an aspect Matt Wong, an attendee, found unique.
“I think San Carlos has one of the only celebrations where, across the community, we can see other cultures and how they celebrate the Lunar New Year,” Wong said.
Shortly after the envelopes were distributed, local preschool and elementary students from the San Carlos School District, Challenge School, and Live Love Learn Chinese all sang and danced.
The Lion Dance was among the most anticipated performances of the event. Not only is this an important Chinese tradition believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck, according to the New York Chinese Freemasons Athletics Club, but it is also very popular at Lunar New Year celebrations.
“I’m most excited for the Lion Dance. I have friends who are performing in it, so that’ll be fun to see. I also want to show my kids the traditions of lion dancing,” Kwan said.
There were also arts and crafts and a storytime for the youngest kids.
“In addition to the performances, a local author, Ling Lee, did a story time and book signing,” Cheng said.
Ultimately, to San Carlos, this celebration was a time to bring the community together, regardless of ethnicity or culture, and to Cheng, it was a place where she felt she belonged.
“For our community, the San Carlos Lunar New Year Celebration is an opportunity to bring together our city’s residents and honor a rich cultural tradition. The incredible support from so many people warmed my heart and created a sense of belonging,” Cheng said.
