Chinese New Year has always been a special celebration at Chinese Historical Society of America. On the day of the Chinese New Year Parade, we have an open house and invite visitors to come to our Museum a few hours before they get ready for the evening festivities at the parade. A Lion Dance starts outside the museum on Stockton Street and the troup drums and leads the crowds inside the museum to find crowds eagerly anticipating for an up-close and personal experience with the Lion Dance team. We get onlookers from those on the bus and neighbors. Everyone knows that we’re ready to celebrate.
The day is usually packed with programs and sometimes people forget to have lunch because there’s so much to do at CHSA. We hosted concerts, poetry readings, panel discussions, mural painting, crafts and presentations of traditional foods and practices. This day is enjoyed by the students next door who attend Gordon J Lau Elementary, generations of Chinese American families, tourists, Fulbright Scholars and everyone in between.
Chinese New Year is different due to the pandemic and we can’t gather in-person. However, Chinese New Year celebrations are not canceled. Instead of one day of celebrating the New Year, we have a series of programs from presentations on Chinese restaurants, neon tours of Chinatown, Year of the Ox book with children’s book author Oliver Chin and more.
We look forward to celebrating with you. www.chsa.org
