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Chinese community holds Lunar New Year Gala
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- Chinese Association of Saipan, CNMI members prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year Gala last Sunday, Feb. 14, where around 300 of their members joined the celebration at the Hibiscus Hall of the Fiesta Resort & Spa. (Contributed Photo)
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- Lt. Gov. Victor B. Hocog, seated second right, and Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, seated left, were the special guests of the night. (Contributed Photo)
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- Chinese Education Center students serenade the crowd with traditional songs. (Contributed Photo)
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- Face changing magician Guo Fangyu captivated the audience. (Contributed Photo)
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- Island-themed performances also took center stage. (Contributed Photo)
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- The traditional lion dance opened up the festivities. (contributed Photo)
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- Monique Mason performs a Tibetan dance. (Contributed Photo)
The Chinese Association of Saipan, CNMI held a Lunar New Year Gala last Sunday, Feb. 14, where around 300 of their members joined the celebration at the Hibiscus Hall of the Fiesta Resort & Spa.
The Lunar New Year signals the end of winter and the start of spring that’s why it is also known as the Spring Festival. It is the most important festival among the traditional Chinese holidays.
The event took place more than two weeks after they adorned Paseo de Marianas with red-colored lanterns and one day after the joint Lunar New Year celebrations of the Chinese and Korean communities.
It is also the first time that CAS invited Chinese performers from Beijing to provide entertainment for the Lunar New Year Gala, which has united the Chinese community on Saipan for more than 25 years.
The traditional lion dance opened the festivities to provide blessing to all. The lion is considered a guardian and wards off evil spirits according to Chinese tradition.
Students at the Chinese Education Center, after the formal introduction of the night’s special guests and CAS board members, performed the songs Good Luck and Grateful Heart then recited the Disciple Gauge and poetry from the Tang dynasty.
CAS vice president Anna Chan, former president Rose Chan, and Annette Ta gave away lucky red packets or lai see to all the kids present. Girls also performed a hula dance.
Guo Fangyu performed traditional and modern magic aside from the bian lian or the face changing show, while Monique Mason performed a Tibetan dance. Wei Wen Xuan performed the Chinese yo-yo Diabolo.
Guo and Wei were both members of the Chinese Magic Circus from Hebei province. They and Mason were among the performers in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
Chinese Education Center students performed the Moonlight with Lotus dance, while Geng Bei, a former music professor in Beijing but now lives on Saipan, sang Moon Lover. Li Mei and Wang Guolong performed Roar of the Ocean in their kung fu show.
The year 2016 is the Year of the Monkey, the ninth animal sign on the Chinese zodiac’s 12-year cycle with fire as the element. One of the five elements—earth, fire, metal, water, and wood—is always associated with a Chinese zodiac animal sign.
The Chinese zodiac identifies those who are born under the Year of the Monkey as adventurous, ambitious, and optimistic.
CAS also thanked various companies that donated gifts and other raffle prizes that were given away during the party.
