That’s Cantonese for Happy New Year! Or, if you prefer Mandarin, Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! Even though it’s 36 days after the solar New Year and 46 days after the beaver New Year, I decided the best way to start off a new year’s new blog would be to attend the New Year Celebration in the Los Angeles Chinatown! George liked to visit the Chinatown in Incheon, but I never got to see those festivities. Though I was more familiar with the kites and deep bowing associated with Seollal, I still imagined lion dances, red money envelopes, and a dragon parade! Right off the bat, I learned a valuable lesson in expectations: don’t make them!
 |
I’ve been in this country quite a while, so I understand that, in America, even international communities take on an American flair. At this festival, though, the Chinese lion dance opened for a Spanish hip-hop troupe and a kilt-clad bagpipe player! The vendor area overflowed with casino, insurance, and military information booths, which had nothing to say about Chinese culture. There were three (just three!) Chinese food stations at the far back, upstaged by the Mac and Cheese food truck. Mac and Cheese is delicious, but at a Chinese New Year Festival? Bù hăo!
 |
Then, a nice, little girl handed me some money, which is a great Chinese tradition. I was so thankful for her generosity, but when I took a closer look, the bill appeared much less attractive. It told me I was a very bad person who was going to burn in a fiery place if I didn’t turn to Jesus! Well, that wasn’t a very nice thing to say, nor was it very nice to exploit a time-honored tradition to make people feel horrible about themselves. So far, this wasn’t shaping up to be a very great Chinese New Year Festival, but I still had high hopes for the Golden Dragon Parade!
 |
Hundreds of people crammed onto Hill and Broadway for the parade. It was a challenge leaping through all those legs, believe me! The parade kicked off with a long line of local politicians atop their fancy cars. I gathered they were not Chinese, since they shouted “Happy Chinese New Year!” to all the Chinese people. Some valiantly attempted a “Gun hey fat choy,” but they should have let the dragons do their thing. Finally, after the slow political race, the firecrackers started, and a Kung Fu troupe gave a demonstration! Two dragons snaked their way down the street, followed by one big dragon, but by the time they got to the slow-marching special interest groups, I lost my special interest and retired to the Wonder Bakery for a custard roll to sweeten the morning’s sour notes!
 |
Despite its poorly executed New Year festivities, I like living in the Los Angeles Chinatown. Sure, it’s small and touristy, but did you know that it’s also the first Chinatown in the United States to be planned and built by Chinese people? That’s pretty neat! In any case, though I didn’t find George here, I have high hopes for the Year of the Rabbit. Bunnies make great beaver friends, so I look forward to more surprises down the road. Maybe I’ll try the New Year Festival in San Francisco’s Chinatown next year.
Zài Jiàn!
