Provo, UT

On a routine shopping trip to The Riverwoods on Saturday, we stumbled upon a fun event: a Chinese New Year celebration. This family-friendly celebration was totally free and open to the public. We showed up about 4 p.m. and had missed story time at Borders, but had plenty of time to enjoy free craft activities (masks and dragons) and a fantastic performance by Chinese Dragon Dancers from a local Kung Fu studio.

The party was held in an empty store next to the Hope Gallery. Signs and decorations peaked our interest so we wandered in and were welcomed by a friendly staff who immediately set my daughter up with her choice of craft project. She also received a gift bag filled with goodies, including a fan, another craft project, and a fortune cookie. At 4:30, a local group came in to perform the traditional Chinese New Year “Lion Dance”.

According to Chinese tradition, the Lion Dance is performed to ward off evil spirits in the new year. Since these evil spirits are frightened by loud noises, clashing symbols and thunderous drums beat a lively, heart-pounding rhythm while the lion dancers perform. The lion is usually comprised of two performers, with the one in front wearing a giant, menacing papier-mâché head. The front dancer moves the head in powerful gestures representative of vitality and longevity, while the back dancer vigorously manipulates the lion’s tail to sweep away bad fortune from the previous year. The Lion Dance climaxes with the “Cai Qing”–“picking the green”–in which the lion eats a head of lettuce (symbolic of money) and is lulled to sleep. He then reawakens, spitting out the leaves in a gesture of abundance for the following year.

I was amazed at the dramatic and intense performance. Afterwards, we all lined up behind the dragon/lion for a parade around the Riverwoods, culminating in front of Shoots Chinese Restaurant, where the “Cai Qing” was repeated.

Monday, January 26, 2009 is the beginning of the Chinese New Year: the Year of the Ox. The Chinese calendar predates the International Calendar that we westerners are more familiar with by more than 2,000 years.

The Shops at Riverwoods is located at 4801 N. University Avenue in Provo.