Thinking Global in the USA #2: 7 US Cities to Celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than four thousand years.  It's a two week festival marking the end of winter and beginning of spring.  Over a billion people around the world celebrate Chinese New Year.  For a fun geography lesson, mix holidays and locations;  challenge your kids to find 7 countries/territories in Asia that celebrate the Chinese New Year:  1) China, 2) Hong Kong, 3) Philippines, 4) Malaysia, 5) Indonesia, 6) Thailand, 7) Singapore.

Festivities at Chinese New Year; Evansville, IN

Before the event, practice a few of the traditions: 
1) Clean the house, sweeping out the ill fortune, making space for good luck
2) Decorate the house, place tangerines and oranges on display as a sign of luck and wealth
3) Give kids money in a red envelope, symbolizing happiness, good luck, and wealth

Ribbons and Beautiful Costumes; Evansville, IN

You don't need to travel to China for your family to enjoy the Chinese New Year celebration.  Chinese make up the 3rd largest immigration group in the US and they welcome you to celebrate Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. 
It occurs on the last day of the month of the Chinese calendar (Feb. this year).

Dragon in Evansville, IN; Photo by Krenda

A friend of mine at work asked if my family would like to attend Chinese New Year at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Evansville, IN.  My friend and his wife planned to perform a duet.  Of course I replied "Yes!"  We enjoyed the traditional dragon dance (photo above), violin and yo-yo performances, dances, costume show, and delicious dinner.  Dragons are a powerful symbol in China and believed to bring good luck.

Chinatown in Chicago

Dragon at parade

 When we moved to Chicago, of course I wanted to visit Chinatown.  I coordinated the timing to occur on the New Year's parade.  If you go, go early.  Parking proved more difficult than we anticipated.  After a brisk walk in the cool weather, we arrived and listened to government officials introduce the events.  The streets were crowded, making it difficult for the kids to see everything.  Glad the dragon bobs and weaves above and floats had scale and height.  The restaurants also had crowds and waiting lines.  Just another excuse for us to return on another day.


Look for parades and events in your town.  Here's 7 US cities offering festival events:

Float in Chicago parade

1.  Kansas City - $20 tickets include speech competition, cultural fair, piano and violin recital
2.  Chicago, IL - 2 parade - Argyle and Chinatown, concert at Symphony Center
3.  Philadelphia, PA - midnight lion dance at 11PM and parade at 11AM

Chinatown in Chicago

4.  New York, NY - parade in Chinatown and martial arts demonstrations
5.  Butte, Montana - parade and 10,000 fireworks
6.  San Francisco, CA - Lunar New Year parade and Miss Chinatown USA crowning
7.  Seattle, Washington - parade, costume content, Hawaiian dances, Japanese taiko drumming

Thinking Global in the USA #1: 8 Chinese Dragon Boat Races

Dragon Boat Races, Photo by Krenda

Dragon boat races, an ancient Chinese sport, began over 2,000 years ago.  Today it's an international sport.  Your kids can learn about a unique sport and culture at one event by taking them to a Chinese Dragon Boat race.  Before the race, get out the globe and talk about different type of boat races around the world including swan boat racing in Thailand and snake boat racing in India.  In the US, Dragon Boat races often provide free admission, so take all your family & friends!

Watching a race provides a feast for the eyes and ears with 40 foot boats, 20 paddlers per boat, and a drummer leading the pace and sychronizing the strokes.  The dragon head and tail attach just for the races.  The steersmans located in the back of the boat added fun and humor by wearing fancy and/or funny hats at the Evansville, IN race our family attended.  Dragon boats may be relatively rare, but all the paddling could inspire your family to try canoeing.
You don't need a passport to watch a race.  Races are held across the US in Spring, Summer, and Fall.  Here's 8 other Dragon Boat Races in the US:

1.  Dragon Boat Festival - Tempe, AZ, March - watch the lake light up at night when nearly 50 boats create the fantasy of lights boat parade
 http://azdba.com/Festival/

2.  Long Beach Dragon Boat Spring Race - Long Beach, CA - Marine Stadium also hosts martial arts and acrobat performances

3.  Charleston Dragon Boat Festival - Charleston, SC; May - celebrates cancer survivors and raised an impressive $150,000 for cancer survivors

4.  Portland Rose Festival Boat Race - Portland, OR, June - parade held same weekend

5.  Boston Dragon Boat Festival - Boston, Massachusetts, June - North America's longest running Dragon Boat festival, now hosting 60 teams and craft workshops including orgami and mask making.

6.  Colorado Dragon Boat Festival - Denver, CO, July- arrive early for the welcoming event "Awakening the Dragon Ceremony" including Buddhist monk chants and a 75 foot dragon

7.  Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival - Queens, New York, Aug. - a large race with 170 teams, opening day parade, dancing, music, and food

8.  San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival - San Francisco, CA, Sept. - events on Treasure Island include taiko druming, Tahitian dancing, and acrobat show