Art Chowder January | February 2022 Issue 37 | Page 60

daytime festival features cultural programs such as Chinese lion dance performances , martial art performance , calligraphy demonstrations , and craft activities and nighttime Lantern Viewing evenings .
Seattle , Washington www . cidbia . org
San Francisco , California www . chineseparade . com
On Saturday , February 19 , 2022 , The San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is the largest celebration of its kind in the world , attracting over three million spectators and television viewers throughout the U . S ., Canada , and Asia . Named one of the top ten parades in the world by International Festivals & Events Association , the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is one of the few remaining nightilluminated parades in North America and is the biggest parade celebrating the lunar new year outside of Asia .
Portland , Oregon www . lansugarden . org
Portland ’ s favorite Chinese New Year celebration is back at Lan Su Chinese Garden . Celebrate Chinese New Year , the most colorful and joyous of all Chinese festivals during Lan Su ’ s two-week celebration featuring hanging red lanterns , contact-free scavenger hunt , festival audio tour , cultural displays , and much more ! On the first day of the festival , every visitor receives a lucky hongbao ( red envelope ) as part of the traditional event . The 15- day celebration will include two parts : the
The International District welcomes in the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year on a calendar 2698 years older than the Western calendar . Bright colors encircle just about everything , bringing a feel of warmth into the winter month . Festivals and music fill the streets of Chinatown , and traditional lion dancers join the parade . You could be forgiven for forgetting you are in Seattle while walking through the Seattle Chinatown International District . Brimming over with Japanese , Chinese , Vietnamese , Burmese and Laotian Americans , this district feels like Southeast Asia . This area boasts a diverse range of eating options and nightlife . Chinese New Year is the biggest event in this area and is awaited by everyone !
Spokane , Washington
www . facebook . com / SpokaneUnitedWeStand www . spokaneunitedwestand . org
The first Chinese Lunar New Year was celebrated in 1888 , followed by a midnight raid by the Spokane Police who were alarmed by the fanfare and revelry in Spokane ’ s Chinatown . The following year 1889 , “ Thousands of crackers were fired , bombs exploded , and Chinese rockets were sent heavenward ,” wrote the reporter . “ Hundreds of people , attracted by the noise , blocked the streets .” ( The Morning Review , “ The Fusillade of Fun ”). Spokane ’ s Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander community is bringing back this event after 89 years , to welcome the year of the Tiger in 2022 .
60 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE