Red Deerians ushered in the Year of the Dragon at a Chinese New Year celebration this past weekend.
The Red Deer and District Chinese Community Society hosted its annual celebration at Festival Hall Saturday evening, with about 300 people in attendance.
“This year’s celebration is a little bit special. Today is not just the end of the Spring Festival, it’s the beginning of the Lantern Festival,” said Lawrence Lee, president of the society.
The dragon is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac. Lee said the Year of the Dragon is a good year for those born in years represented by other animals, including the monkey, rooster and rat.
“The year you’re born doesn’t have to be the best year for you – what matters is how it all mixes together,” Lee explained.
The evening kicked off with a big and bright traditional lion dance.
“The lion dance is very important and not just because of the lions that are to scare away evil spirits. You’ll hear the gongs, the drums. It’s all to wash away the evil spirits and clear the energy for the year to come,” he said.
“Tonight we have six (lions), which is a lot. Even at some of the events I’ve been to in Calgary and Edmonton, there were two or three lions. We have a professional lion dance troupe from Calgary and they wanted to make it special because today is the end of the Spring Festival and beginning of the Lantern Festival.”
The Chinese New Year was officially held on Feb. 10 and commemorates the first new moon of the lunar calendar, lasting up to 16 days.
“This is always the time of the year we make sure our houses are clean and our debts are paid, so you start afresh,” Lee said.
The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the lunar calendar during a full moon. It is considered to be one of the most important annual celebrations in China.
“This is the time of the year when there’s the most migration in the world back to China – more than 2.5 billion people migrate at this time of year to go home and be with family,” said Lee.
“On Feb. 10, the day the Chinese New Year started, families were at home cooking authentic Chinese meals that were passed down generationally. One household may have completely different dishes from another household, depending on what part of China they’re from or what’s available in their local food market.”
During the Red Deer event, a moment of silence was held for longtime Red Deer and District Chinese Community Society member and former city councillor Frank Wong, who passed away in December 2023.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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