CHINESE NEW YEAR

— by Lois Chazen

Chinese New Year 4704, the Year of the Pig (猪年/豬年 Zhū-nián), was celebrated in Reidy-Friendship Hall on Sunday, February 11. For the sixth consecutive year, Judy Chang, who had just completed her term as President of the Congregation, produced this enchanting, authentic event for young and old.

One of the focal entertainments for this occasion is the Lion Dance (舞狮/舞獅 wǔ-shī), a highly stylized presentation for which the dancers train throughout the year. The dance is an extension of Chinese martial arts and therefore the performers were students from Norman Chin’s School of Martial Arts in lower Manhattan as was the student dressed as Buddha leading the lion. The Lion Dance was accompanied with the music, as tradition dictates, of gong, drum and cymbals. Buddhists believe that the lion represents courage, energy and wisdom, brings luck and wards off evil spirits. The gusto and physicality of the Lion Dance was in contrast to the customary fan dance which expresses life and peace. A special guest from Peking Radio’s in-house staff of musicians played the traditional two-stringed bowed fiddle, the “èr-hú (二胡).” Chinese red was everywhere: on the festively decorated walls and tables and on floating strands of balloons and of course, on the lion himself. A tall floor level arrangement of flowering branches and a handsome Chinese scroll decorated the stage. The sound of firecrackers was evoked by several sets of feet trampling bubble-wrap. The guests also enjoyed a traditional holiday feast.

The year of the Pig occurs once every twelve years in the Chinese calendar and is thought to bring good fortune and harmony, a propitious year in which countless weddings, births and other life occasions are planned. Those born under this sign are believed to be chivalrous, honest, determined and loyal. Judy, who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Toronto said, “It gives me great pleasure to share these traditions with people of all ages who attend.”