Bringing Lunar New Year to life

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington was filled with Chinese music along with shouts of joy from young children celebrating the first day of the Chinese New Year on Saturday.

For the fourth year, the museum’s Kogod Courtyard was occupied by a large performance stage and booths of traditional paper cutting, bristle dolls, dough sculpting, mask coloring, New Year’s card making, Beijing folk artists’ paintings and calligraphy demonstrations. The large crowd’s presence heightened the joyous atmosphere.

Following the lion awakening ceremony performed by David Skorton, secretary of the Smithsonian, and Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the US, shows by the Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe from Johns Hopkins University, the Beijing Chinese Orchestra and Beijing Acrobats in turn brought the audience an auditory and visual feast.

In the audience was Ajay Bhatt and his family from Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Growing up in New York, Bhatt used to go to New York’s Chinatown to watch the Chinese New Year parades from a very young age.

“We always had to cover our ears because their fireworks were very, very loud. But it was a lot of fun,” he said. “So, it’s a lot of good memories celebrating the Chinese New Year.”

He brought his 3-year-old son Gabriel, who had just gotten his face painted, to the museum in Washington’s Chinatown to celebrate the new year.

“It’s a great event for families. We are very happy that the Smithsonian is putting this on. It’s very important for kids to participate in cultural events from around the world,” Ajay Bhatt said.

Shakirra Cook, 13, is particularly interested in Asian culture because she thinks “it’s beautiful”. She was thrilled to take part in the cultural activities and meet diverse groups of people at the event.

“I love the languages that they speak, and I would like to learn them,” she said. “I’m teaching myself Japanese, and I want to learn Chinese,” she said.

Waiting patiently in the line, she was ready to try on traditional Chinese customs, in her case, a pink embroidered dress, and have her photo taken.

Cook’s mother, Virginia Davis, is supportive of her children’s interests in Asian cultures. She attributed her familiarity with Chinese New Year and Chinese culture to her daughters.

The Bissons are no strangers to Lunar New Year. Originally from the United Kingdom, the family also spent a few years living in Vietnam.

“We want our kids to continue to get exposed to Chinese culture and to learn about Chinese New Year,” said Andrew Bisson. “They are having a great time. They watched the lion dance, got their faces painted, and are now doing some paper cuttings.”

He was holding a small plastic bag with a rooster-shaped paper cutting made by his daughter Louisa, 7.

An estimated 7,500 visitors came to the 3 1/2-hour Chinese New Year Family Day event, compared with 7,000 last year. Saturday’s turnout was the highest since the event began four years ago.

Skorton, the secretary of the Smithsonian, attended with his wife, Robin Davisson. He said they had visited China many times and made many close friends there.

Skorton, a former president of Cornell University, praised the contributions that Chinese Americans have made to the US.

“If any of your family members have come from China, today should be a day of great pride for you,” he said.

CHEN WEIHUA / CHINA DAILY The Chinese Lunar New Year Family Day event at the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum in Washington on Saturday drew a crowd of 7,500, mostly parents with young children. They watched a lion dance, Peking Opera and acrobatics,...