The Cali-Saigon Mall hosted a Lunar New Year celebration Saturday, Jan. 27. A large crowd attended the event, and all seemed to have a great time. Elected officials including State Representative Angie Chen Button, Garland Mayor Scott LeMay, several Garland, Rowlett and Richardson City Council members and Garland ISD Board of Trustees members were in attendance. In addition, representatives from the Garland Police Department and Garland Fire Department were on-hand to join the celebration.
The celebration featured the lighting of red firecrackers for good luck and dragon and lion dances by J.L. Sports Association.
These events were followed by a delicious array of food and multicultural musical entertainment.
Lunar New Year is an international holiday celebrated in many Asian countries. Some of those include China, Viet Nam, Indonesia, South Korea and the Philippines. Lunar New Year is celebrated by approximately 1.5 billion people around the world, and every culture that celebrates has its own traditions. It is one of the most important Asian holidays of the year, as it symbolizes letting go of the past year and bringing in the new year.
Another important aspect of the holiday is family and community. Families gather for feasts and to celebrate cultural customs. Additionally, it is an opportunity to commemorate a year of hard work.
Tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday began as a time for feasting and to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. The New Year typically begins with the first new moon that occurs between the end of January. It spans the first 15 days of the first month of the lunar calendar—until the full moon arrives.
There are 12 animals In the Chinese Zodiac, and each coincides with the lunar calendar and occurs in a 12-year cycle. Each of the 12 animals has its own attributes and characteristics. The year 2024 is the year of the dragon, which last came up in 2012.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/lunar-2023-012758159.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall