Lunar New Year
Saturday, February 4, 2012
11am-4pm
Courthouse Square (map)
Join us for this Asian celebration of change and the Year of the Dragon! Lion Dancers, Red Panda Acrobats, Martial Arts, Kids Arts & Zodiac Themed Crafts, Food, Inflatable Playland & More! FREE!
The San Mateo County Historical Museum program will include:
Free Admission to the History Museum (All day) Children’s Crafts in the Rotunda will include activities such as a miniature dragon kites and lucky red envelopes,
Listen to the Erhu – traditional Chinese version of the violin, performed by Ms. Mei Xuan, an Erhu virtuoso
Short talk given by Mr. Nan Su, New Tang Dynasty TV (Channel 32) news commentator.
11:15am
Opening Ceremonies Kristen Sze of ABC7 Morning News and Redwood Council will welcome everyone to Redwood City’s second Lunar New Year Celebration.
Kristen co-anchors the ABC7 Morning News with Eric Thomas and co-anchors the ABC7 Midday News with Cheryl Jennings, which won the 2009-2010 Northern California Emmy award for best daytime newscast. She also reports for Assignment 7 on ABC7 News at 6.
11:30am Shaolin Culture Center - lion dancers, martial artists and more!
Kung Fu is Chinese term for "martial art", it can also be called "Wu Shu". The holy Shaolin temple of the Buddhism was established about 1600 years ago on the mountain of Sung. It was the symbol of Buddhism power in China, and it also represented the ultimate domination of Buddhism over other religions in the next 1000 years in China. The Shaolin temple was built during the feudal age when warlords divided and ruled each region of China separately. Legend has it that the Shaolin temple devised powerful techniques such that enabled people to punch through concrete wall, to regenerate and heal at faster rate, and to walk on the surface of water like dragonfly.
The Shaolin Culture Center in San Mateo is keeping the Chinese traditions of the Shaolin Monks and their martial arts techniques alive by teaching both adults and children.
12:00pm Red Panda Acrobats
The Red Panda Acrobats was formed in 1990 in Shanghai, China. The members are professionally trained from China. Since their first performance in the United States in 1991, the troupe continues to perform year-round in a variety of venues, including corporate and company events, fairs, festivals, sporting events, school assemblies, and TV shows. Although the group is based in the San Francisco Bay area, the Red Panda Acrobats have traveled throughout the nation and overseas performing for well known companies such as Disney World, EPCOT Center, Apple Computer, and Las Vegas Casinos. They have appeared on various television shows internationally, including the Incredible Acrobats, London Television; China's Best Acrobats, Shanghai Television; the Crook & Chase Show; Mornings Live on 2, KTVU-Channel 2, San Francisco; and many more.
1:00pm Somei Yoishino Taiko Ensemble
Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble (SYTE), founded in 1999, goes beyond the beat of the taiko drum to use music, theater and dance as a medium to express the human condition as it relates to its environment, community and its future. Since its founding, SYTE has worked in collaboration with choreographers, composers, designers and musicians from all genres. The name of the company, Somei Yoshino, represents one of the most beautiful cherry blossom trees in Japan. TAIKO is the Japanese word for drum and is a musical instrument whose history goes back about 2,000 years to ancient Japan. It has gone through an amazing evolution in arriving at the way it is played and used today.
2:00pm California Kung Fu & Tai Chi Institute
The goal of California Kung Fu & Tai Chi is to promote both the physical and spiritual growth in our students by teaching both the external and internal martial arts styles. Our ultimate goal is to enhance a student's life through the understanding and application of the values and discipline taught in the Chinese Martial Art styles, traditions and culture.
2:00pm Classical Arts – Courtroom A History Museum
Listen to the Erhu – a traditional Chinese version of the violin, performed by Ms. Mei Xuan, an Erhu virtuoso. Hear a short talk given by Mr. Nan Su, New Tang Dynasty TV (Channel 32) news commentator. Discover Shen Yun, a manifestation of the renaissance of this ancient culture with two short documentaries.
3:00pm Vân-Ánh Võ Vietnamese musician and master of the dan tranh zither.
Emmy® Awards Winner, Academy Award® Nominee Contributor, Vietnam National Champion Van-Anh began studying dan tranh from the age of four, and graduated with distinction from and taught at the Vietnam Academy of Music. In 1995, Van-Anh won championship in the Vietnam National Dan Tranh Competition along with the first prize for best solo performance of modern folk music. She has since performed in more than fourteen countries and recorded in many broadcast programs inside and outside of Vietnam. Her first CD “Twelve Months, Four Seasons” was released in 2002. In addition to dan tranh, Van-Anh also performs as soloist on the monochord (bau), the 36-string hammered dulcimer (dan tam thap luc), the bamboo xylophone (dan t’rung), the k’longput, traditional drums (trong), and Chinese guzheng. She lives and teaches dan tranh and other Vietnamese traditional instruments in Fremont, California.
4:00pm Closing Ceremony & Lion Dance
The Far East Dragon Lion Dance Association is a non-profit youth group and lion dance troupe which strives to use the traditional Lion Dance as a vehicle for cultural and community awareness. They are also a firm advocate for "women empowerment" especially in a culture where females are discouraged from lion dancing and are the first lion dance troupe in the Bay Area to promote females learning both the musical and dance elements going beyond traditional norms.
Redwood City’s Second Lunar New Year Celebration
Welcome to Redwood City’s second Lunar New Year celebration! The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in Asian heritage, often celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods, and displays of festive decorations - all focused on bringing good luck for the New Year and celebrating the imminent arrival of spring. Thank you for joining us in Redwood City to celebrate the diversity of our community.
The Year of the Dragon (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 or 2012)
This year welcomes the Year of the Dragon and the beginning of a new year on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, and for other Asian cultures. Dragon is the fifth sign in the Chinese astrological cycle. History suggests that before Buddha left this world, he invited all of the animals to join him around his table for a feast. Of all of the creatures in the land, only 12 arrived. The steadfast Ox led the way, but at the last moment, the Rat, opportunistic and fleet of foot, scampered over the Ox’ back and arrived first at Buddha’s door. For their loyalty and faithfulness, these animals were rewarded in perpetuity by having a year named after each of them in their order of arrival.
The 12 animals run in sequence beginning with the Rat and followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Money, Rooster, Dog, and last, but not least, the Pig.
If you were born during the Year of the Dragon...
For those of you that may be born in the Year of the Dragon, the Dragon is a symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a divine beast - the reverse of the malicious monster that Westerners felt necessary to find and slay. In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Therefore, those people born in Dragon years are to be honored and respected. Seemingly born under a lucky star, the dragon is the most vital and powerful of any in the Chinese zodiac, although with an infamous reputation for being a hothead - and possessing a sharp tongue!
At any social gathering, you know a Dragon has entered the room as the air starts to tingle with the energy they exude. Enthusiastic, and confident sometimes to the point of swaggering, Dragon people inspire confidence in others with their honesty and quick wit.
The Year of the Dragon (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 or 2012)
