By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
This Saturday marks the most important and celebrated holiday of the year for cultures rooted in a lunar calendar — the Lunar New Year.
Widely referred to as the Chinese New Year, many other Asian countries honor the special holiday, In fact, the Chinese often refer to the new year festival as the Spring Festival. In Vietnam, it is called Tết. In Korea, it is called Seolial. Most of these countries observe the Lunar New Year from when the new moon rises on Jan. 24 and concludes with the full moon on Feb. 9. There are some Asian countries, such as Thailand and Laos, who observe the Lunar New Year in April, usually around April 13.
This year, 2020 is the year of the rat according to the Asian Zodiac. While the rat is not considered by most as adorable, it ranks first on the Asian Zodiac, meaning it starts the 12-year cycle of the Asian Zodiac. The rat, as described on the Vietnamese American Community of West Michigan’s website page, is clever, quick thinkers, successful in reproductive and survival, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life. People born under the Rat hold a strong community value and depend on each other.
To learn more about the Asian Zodiac, click here for a story by resident Adrian Ɖặng Bảo Oánh.
While Asians celebrate the Lunar New Year in different ways, all celebrations have one common feature: family reunions. The Lunar New Year is in fact one of the biggest migration of people, with hundreds of thousands of people returning home to see their family.
Tết: Viet Lunar New Year Celebration 2020
One of the longest running community Lunar New Year celebrations is the Vietnamese community’s annual event. The event is Saturday, Jan. 25, at Wyoming’s Knights of Columbus Hall, 5830 Clyde Park Ave. SW.
Hosted by the Vietnamese-American Community of West Michigan, the Children Tết Festival is from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. and includes games and fun for the entire family, such as face painting, a dragon dance, animal balloons, music, foods, and arts and crafts.
Starting at 4 p.m. is the traditional ceremony which will run until 6:30 p.m. The program will include the New Year’s message, the ancestors commemoration ceremony, the Lion Dance Welcoming the Year of the Rat, and community awards. The New Year Concert and Dance, featuring numerous local performers, is from 7 to midnight.
This event is free and open to the public. Authentic Vietnamese food will be available for purchase. According to organizers, the festival is designed to highlight the richness and diversity of Vietnam by featuring a variety of traditional performances including the dragon dance, traditional musical instruments, children dances, games and much more.
For more about Tết, check out this article written by resident Adrian Ɖặng Bảo Oánh by clicking here.
WKTV will be at the annual Tết event. Check the wktv.org website for air dates of the annual celebration.
Lunar New Year Festival 2020: Grand Rapids
“We spend most of the day with our families,” said Kim Nguyen who with Kathy Bui are organizing the Lunar New Year Festival in Grand Rapids. “Just like Americans do at Christmas and other holidays, during the day we spend time with our family and in the evening, we attend community events.”
It was the reason the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival, the Grand Valley Asian Student Union, Zeeland Christian Schools, Com 616, and the Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. came together to host this year’s Lunar celebration which is set for Saturday, Jan. 25, from 5 – 9 p.m. at the community space located at 555 Monroe Ave. NW.
“It is in a tent, a heated tent,” Nguyen emphasized.
“The festival is a community experience,” Nguyen said, adding that it is a family-friendly event. “What I am hoping is people come and see the diverse culture that we have in the Grand Rapids area.”
One the largest Asian populations is located in and around the Greater Grand Rapids area, she said. The Lunar New Year 2020 will feature a number of traditional activities representing many of the different Asian cultures. This includes a dragon dance, lion dancers, and performances from many area residents such as hip-hop dancer Heather Truong, musician Caleb John Lawson and Friends, the children of the Lao Buddhist Temple, Lakeshore Taekwondo Academy, and the Grand Valley Asian Student Union.
At the event, there will be a variety of traditional foods such as bubble tea along with many traditional food items such as dumplings, spring rolls, rice cakes, veggie soup, and an Asian sandwich. The event is a fundraiser for the annual Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival, which will be June 12.
Also at the Lunar Festival, there will be a variety of children games, traditional Korean and Japanese ones as well as painting rat piggy banks, a ring toss, and face painting. Tokens will need to be purchased for the games and activities. For more about the Lunar New Year celebration, check out the Facebook page, Lunar New Year Festival 2002.
