Hao Mama 好妈妈 » Chinese new year

Celebrating Chinese New Year in the Bay Area

sophie — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:57:40 +0000

If you live in the Bay Area and are looking for fun things to do for Chinese New Year, here is my rundown via Bay Area Mama.

Childbook also has a list of events throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Enjoy and Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Good-bye Ox; Hello Tiger

sophie — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:18:53 +0000

This Sunday, the 14th, is the first day of the Year of the Tiger, and the Bay Area is a great place to celebrate. Lunar New Year celebrations big and small can be found all over. We usually love the pan-Asian New Year Festival at the Oakland Museum, which is the right mix of performances, food, and crafts for kids of all ages. But unfortunately the museum is undergoing renovation this year so they won’t be holding the event.

On Monday, February 15 (President’s Day), the Bay Area Discovery Museum will hold their annual Chinese New Year Celebration with lion dances, and arts and crafts projects. It is generally crowded but fun. More info is here.

And of course the largest parade outside of Asia is held in San Francisco at the end of the two -week New Year holiday, this year on Saturday February 27 at 5:15 pm. More information is here.

On a smaller scale in the East Bay, I noticed during a recent visit that Ranch 99/Pacific East shopping center in Richmond will have a lion dance performance on Saturday February 20.

In the spirit of the season, here’s a song our whole family memorized after a pre-school new year performance last year:

Here’s the pinyin for the lyrics, in case you too want the song stuck in your head for several months:

Mei Tiao Da Jie Xiao Xiang
Mei Ge Ren Di Zhui Li
Jian Mian Di Yi Ju Hua
Jiu Shi Gong Xi Gong Xi
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni Ya
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni

Hao Hao Bing Xue Rong Jie
Yan Kan Mei Hua Tu Rui
Man Man Hua Ye Huo Luo
Ting Dao Yi Sheng Ji Ti
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni Ya
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni

Jin Guo Duo Shao Kun Nan
Jin Li Duo Shao Mo Lian
Duo Shao Xin Er Pan Wang
Pan Wang Chun Tian Di Xiao Xi
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni Ya
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni Ya
Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni

恭喜发财！万事如意！
Happy Year of the Tiger!

“Mommy, I really want to be Chinese…”

sophie — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:53:33 +0000

Today in the San Francisco Chronicle, a non-Chinese speaking mother blogged about sending her daughter to a Mandarin immersion school. She writes:

Since school started, I have stepped back and watched Paris learn Chinese and I’ve put forth little effort to learn about the language, the country, the culture.

And then last week in the car Paris said, “Mommy, I wish that I was born in China. I really want to be Chinese.”

I was entirely unprepared for this comment, so rather than offer up words of wisdom, I simply asked, “Why?”

“I want to celebrate the Chinese New Year, like the Chinese do. Mommy, we have to get haircuts and clean the house before the new year celebration starts. And I want a red envelope. And did you know that it’s the Year of the Ox? And we need new clothes. And we need to have a special dinner with Chinese food…”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be Chinese to celebrate Chinese New Year. We can celebrate the holiday.”

Read the full post here.

Welcoming the Ox

sophie — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:00:59 +0000

If you are trying to get your kids excited about Chinese culture and language, of course now is the best time of year to do it. Lion dancers, fireworks, red envelopes, dumplings, drums, dancing, demons… They all make Chinese New Year a pretty enticing time for little ones.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is plenty to do, including the pan-Asian cultural festival at the Oakland Museum which is packed full with kung fu performers, drummers, lion and dragon dancers, arts and crafts activities, food and more. San Francisco holds the biggest Chinese new year parade in the country, on Lantern Festival, at the end of the two week holiday (February 7 this year). The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco will also have a special family event on February 1. On the other coast, outside Boston, the Peabody Essex Museum will hold Chinese New Year activities on January 30-31. ChildBook, an online store selling books and other cultural products, has compiled a list of Chinese New Year activities around the country, so you can find some fun closer to home.

Two books we like that introduce traditions of Chinese New Year, in English, are Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book and D Is for Dragon Dance.

Here is a YouTube video of a Lion Dance that was a favorite in our house after last year’s new year’s festivities:
恭喜发财

万事如意！