Overview:
The Chinese New Year lion dancers began their journey at 11 a.m. at Central Fish in Chinatown and concluded at Vintage Drip Clothing, spreading luck, wealth, and prosperity for the new year along the way.
Dozens of people watched in awe Saturday as lion dancers showcased vibrant, acrobatic movements perfectly synchronized to the rhythm of drums, cymbals, and gongs during a Chinese New Year celebration hosted by the Chinatown Fresno Foundation.
The lion dancers brought the festivities to life, mimicking a lion’s lively expressions and powerful strides to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits for the new year.
As part of the long-standing tradition in Fresno, the lion dancers visited 14 local businesses across Chinatown, offering lettuce as a symbol of wealth and prosperity in exchange for red envelopes containing monetary donations. These donations not only support the performers but also helped provide scholarships for Chinese American students.
During the performances, business owners “fed” lettuce to the lions, which then “ate” and playfully spit out the leaves, scattering them throughout the buildings and streets as a symbolic gesture of spreading blessings and good fortune.
“The long-standing tradition brings a sense of enjoyment to Chinatown and to the community, said Monica Valero, community development marketing manager of Chinatown Fresno Foundation. “It gets everyone engaged in the event, and the dancers bring good fortune to the businesses while symbolizing new beginnings for the new year.”
For Geena Morales, a first-year graduate student at Pepperdine University, it was their first time experiencing a Chinese New Year celebration.
“The dancers are awesome,” Morales said. “It’s all been very unexpected—the music, the dancing, just everything.”
Morales explained that they were attending as part of a cross-cultural class to “experience a culture that isn’t mine” and to learn about its significance both broadly and within the Central Valley.
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, marks the start of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. The celebrations span up to 16 days, beginning on Jan. 29 and concluding on Feb. 4.
This festival also signifies the transition between zodiac signs. This year is represented by the snake, a symbol of wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. People born in the year of the snake are often believed to possess traits such as intuition, strategic thinking, and intelligence.
During the Chinese New Year celebrations, Judging by the Cover hosted an “I Love Small Biz” Valentine’s Day-themed market. The market featured Valentine’s Day-inspired prints, handmade soaps and body scrubs, coffee, pastries, and other items for sale.
Ashley Mireles-Guerrero, co-owner of Fresno’s Judging by the Cover, said that the market was planned before they knew about the Chinese New Year celebration and immediately wanted to participate in it “so that everyone can come and experience it.”
“The event is another way for us to be in community,” said Mireles-Guerrero. “People were worried that us moving into Chinatown would be a sign of gentrification, but we want to show that we’re getting involved and that we have books on how to engage in a community respectfully.”
Fresno’s Chinese New Year celebration ended in the building that hosts Judging by the Cover and Vintage Drip around 1 p.m.
