Friday, March 21, 2025
The Year of the Snake ushered in a brand new year of good fortune and prosperity at Belmont Park Village during the Lunar New Year festival last Saturday.
Bubble tea, dim sum, noodles and specialty macarons were available for guests to purchase, origami crafts were available for children to create, and guests were given an opportunity to participate in a $1,000 shopping spree giveaway for each purchase they made in the village.
At 3:30 p.m., guests were invited to observe a traditional Chinese lion dance, which was performed by a Chinatown-based non-for-profit organization called the Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club.
Instrumentalists dressed in traditional Chinese garments struck drums and percussion instruments in a synchronized rhythm as dancers, dressed as lions, performed in the village’s central plaza, eventually making their way to the south entrance.
The lion costumes consisted of two pieces— one dancer operated the lion’s head at the front costume, such as blinking its eyes and opening its mouth, while the other dancer carried the long, gold train fabric to act as the lion’s hind legs. Two sets of dancers created the two lions included during Saturday’s performance.
Another dancer, who acted as a clown-like figure, donned a mask and attempted to command the two lions, presenting them with bushels of lettuce and two oranges for each to feast on. The lions then began throwing the lettuce and oranges, spreading luck and prosperity to guests and the village.
Alan Ong, a senior member of the club, said Lunar New Year is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Asian community due to its auspicious nature. Luck, prosperity and family mark the holiday’s weeklong festivities, he said, with some celebrations in China lasting two or three weeks.
The Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club was established 1956, and mostly consists of high school children who were born in America of Chinese heritage. The recreational center offers Chinatown’s youth the opportunity to learn martial arts, the lion dance and other athletics.
Ong, who is a first generation Chinese immigrant, said it’s easy for children born here to learn American culture, but they do not have that kind of exposure to Chinese culture. That is why, he said, he wants to continue practicing Chinese cultural traditions and passing it along to the next generation.
“We still come back to help because we don’t forget where we come from,” Ong said. “This dying culture, this dying art— we want to continue to bring it forth to the community, and to everyone around.”
Ong emphasized the importance of family in celebrating the Lunar New Year, which is something he believes all cultures share in their celebrations, as well.
“The significance of the Lunar New Year is being with family,” he concluded. “Family is very important, as we know, in all cultures and races. So for us, I think that’s the point.”
