Celebrate Lunar New Year 2023

By Ray Hom

Lunar New Year 2023 will fall on Sunday, Jan.22, 2023, along with the start of the Year of the Rabbit. The Year of the Rabbit represents longevity, discretion, and good luck.

For the Chinese people, both in China and in ethnic communities around the world, the Lunar New Year is the most important and festive holiday of the year. Lunar New Year is known by many names: Chinese New Year (CNY) or The Spring Festival in China; Seollal in Korea; Tsaagan Sar in Mongolia; Tết in Vietnam, and is also observed in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Closer to home in Cleveland’s AsiaTown, festivities to celebrate the Lunar New Year will begin at Asia Plaza on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2023. Festivities are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with performances kicking off at 11 a.m. with the Kwan Family Lion Dance, followed by performances from the LingYun Rising Stars dancers, the Waist Drum Team, and the AsiaTown Square Dancing Team. Come join the festivities, wear lots of red, and visit the vendor and sponsor tables as well as the shops and eateries of Asia Plaza and throughout AsiaTown.

Like Christmas in Western countries, Lunar New Year is a time to be home with family, chat, drink, cook, and enjoy a family reunion meal together. The Chinese have an old saying: ‘Food is the first important thing for people.’ They are passionate about cooking and ensure that the festival foods bear auspicious meanings and bring good luck. So, while you are celebrating in AsiaTown, enjoy a meal that may include dumplings, fish, noodles, rice balls, or spring rolls, each dish representing one of the following: good fortune, good luck, longevity, completeness of family, and gold for a fresh start to the new year.

The festivities are sponsored by Margaret W. Wong & Associates, OCA Greater Cleveland, Asian Services in Action (ASIA), Erie Chinese Journal, and AsiaTown. Free and open to all!