CHINESE NEW YEAR BEGINS TODAY.Byline: Daily News One-fifth of the planet's population will celebrate the new year today. And people thought Jan. 1, 2000, was a big deal. From Singapore and Taiwan to Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. , celebrations are planned to mark the dawn of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which begins with the full moon today. Activities planned across Southern California this weekend range from Buddhist prayers to parades to arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. . In San Gabriel and Alhambra, 10 cities will participate today in a parade down Valley Boulevard, between Del Mar and Garfield avenues, that begins at 11 a.m. The Lunar New Year Lunar New Year may refer to the beginning of the year in several calendars. It is commonly assumed that they are all based on a lunar calendar. However, this is not the case. Celebration also includes a Millennium Group Wedding at 1:30 p.m. and a street festival from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The parade, in its ninth year, has grown in terms of scope and territory, said organizer Pinki Chen. The event attracts between 20,000 and 40,000 people every year, she said. In Hacienda Heights, the Hsi Lai Temple Hsi Lai Temple (TC: 西來寺; PY: Xīlái Sì) (approximate pronunciation She Lye) is a traditional Chinese Buddhist mountain monastery. It is located on the foothill region of Hacienda Heights, California, USA, a suburb of Los Angeles. , the largest Buddhist temple in California, will hold a Chinese New Year Chinese New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: Chūnjié), or Spring Festival celebration today and Sunday. A ceremony to pay homage to Buddha begins at 10 a.m. Visitors will have opportunities throughout the weekend to offer incense and prayers. Additional activities include paper cutting, Chinese calligraphy calligraphy (kəlĭg`rəfē) [Gr.,=beautiful writing], skilled penmanship practiced as a fine art. See also inscription; paleography. European Calligraphy In Europe two sorts of handwriting came into being very early. , ornament making and face painting. ``It's a Chinese tradition to visit the temple and pray to the Buddha for prosperity, happiness, longevity and for good things to happen in the coming year,'' temple spokeswoman Cherry Lai said. Saturday merely marks the beginning of the celebrations. Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or has a February full of events, including a parade on Feb. 12 and a banquet on Feb. 25. Monterey Park will host a Chinese New Year Lantern Festival on Feb. 12 and 13 on Garvey Avenue, between Garfield and Nicholson avenues. The festival includes dancing, music, acrobats and jugglers. The city brought 1,000 lanterns from China to hang along the festival route, which will feature 100 booths with arts and crafts and food. |
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