Lunar New Year celebration at Westfield Santa Anita

Image used for illustration only. – Courtesy photo / Chris Phutully (CC BY 2.0)

By Susan Motander

 Over the next two weekends, several events are planned at Westfield Santa Anita to celebrate the Lunar New Year. These events are all free and open to the general public. The New Year in Chinese astrology will be the year of the Dog.

There will be live musical entertainment from 1 to 3 pm this Saturday, February 3 and again next week on February 10^th during the same hours. The presentation will feature instrumental music with the traditional Chinese zither and flute. 

Also on Saturday, the 3^rd there will be a live calligraphy demonstration with Master Calligrapher Hirokazu. He and his apprentice will paint a pictograph from which the Chinese character of the “Dog” was derived. There will be 2 sessions, one at 1 p.m. the next is at 3.

The festivities will really pick up on Sunday February 11^th from 11 am to 3 pm. This community event will feature lion dances, food demonstrations, games, arts & crafts retail booths just to start. The following is a tentative schedule of the events:

– 11am: Lion Dance Celebration Kick Off.

– 11:30am – 1:40pm: Various Traditional Live Entertainments.

– 1:45pm: Lion Dance Performance #2.

– 2pm: Benihana Sushi Demo.

-2:20pm: Hai Di Lao Demo and Noodle Dance.

-2:45pm: Bird Pick Tea & Herb Tea Ceremony.

Several retailers will be participating in the festivities. This include (in alphabetical order: Benihana, Bibigo, Bird Pick Tea & Herb, Hai Di Lao, Kungfu Fish, Perverse Sunglasses, Red Robin, Sephora, and Wing Hop Fung. Some of the activities being planned include:

-Live Calligraphy.

-Zodiac Memory Game.

-Face Painting: “Puppy Kisses.”

-Photo Opportunities with “The Three Princes.”

-Red Envelope Giveaways.

-Arts & Crafts: “Dog Ears” Headbands.

-Student Art Displays.

This is a great opportunity to welcome in the New Year; Gung Hay Fat Choy.

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