Lunar New Year celebrations are in full swing in New York City! At Hudson Yards in Manhattan, public performances are taking place each weekend to bring people together for the holiday. These performances, put on by the New York Chinese Cultural Center, include traditional lion dances and ribbon twirling performances. Ribbon, silk, or scarf dancing can be traced back to the Han Dynasty in China, over 2000 years ago. The art form requires incredible strength and grace to perform the captivating, fluid motions of the dance.
Lunar New Year – Year of the Tiger
It’s time to celebrate a new year on the lunar calendar! Each year on the lunar calendar is associated with one of the 12 zodiac animals, which include the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. This upcoming year, which begins on February 1, is the year of the tiger. Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated in China, Vietnam, North and South Korea, and Tibet, but today, celebrations take place all around the world. In London, for example, the Light Festival at Battersea Power Station features an installation celebrating the year of the tiger. The Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) created “Digital Origami Tigers” in 2010, the last year of the tiger. The large, glowing sculptures “combine ancient methods of lantern making with cutting-edge design and technology” to create a stunning celebration of the new year.