Ushering in the Year of the Rabbit on Sunday, the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena is bringing together traditional dances, musical performances and martial arts demonstrations for their Lunar New Year celebration.
“We are thrilled to be back in person this year to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. First-time attendees can expect to see several performances of East Asian music and dance, participate in artmaking activities with our partners from Barnsdall Arts, visit the museum galleries to check out both our permanent collection and the closing of our special exhibition After Modernism: Through the Lens of Wayne Thom, and enjoy yummy food trucks,” USC Director of Communications and Marketing, Nathalia Morales-Evanks said.
“This event is fun for the whole family and is sure to bring a smile to your face.”
The museum’s Lunar New Year events on Jan. 22 – Jan 23 are completely free and open to the public, with no sign up required. All events will take place outside in the USC PAM parking lot and courtyard.
The celebration starts on Sunday, Jan. 22 with artmaking activities with Barnsdall Arts and calligraphy, which goes on through the afternoon.
Starting at 11:30 am on Jan 22, audiences will be treated to a Traditional Chinese Dance, followed by a Lion Dance and Martial Arts Demonstration at noon.
A performance by the Korean Classical Music and Dance Company is scheduled at 1:00 pm, followed by a Clazzical Notes musical performance at 2:00 pm.
After acclaimed storyteller Barbara Wong’s performance at 2:30 p.m., USC’s Taiko ensemble Kazan Taiko will wrap up the festivities at 3:00 pm
Morales-Evanks said the Lunar New Year celebration is a tradition that has been observed in East and Southeast Asian communities for thousands of years with origins steeped in Chinese legends. It begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon.
“There are many customs associated with the holiday, including cleaning the home, honoring ancestors, and giving red envelopes with small amounts of money to children and family members,” she explained.
“Friends and family gather to share delicious food and communities often celebrate with elaborate festivals, which almost always include a lion dance. In recent years, Lunar New Year has become a significant celebration across a large part of the globe.”
Through the pandemic, USC PAM hosted virtual Lunar New Year events that were streamed online throughout the day and recorded.
“Our Lunar New Year Festival is an annual event that we have hosted for the community for over a decade. Each year we bring unique traditional dance and musical performances to the museum stage by artists both local and international. We have art activities for the whole family,” Morales-Evansk said.
Again, the celebration is open to the public, completely free, and no sign up is required.
For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/lunar-new-yearpam-tickets-506706251037?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.
To view recordings of past virtual celebrations, visit https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/2021/02/11/virtual-lunar-new-year-2021/.
