EVERETT – They partied like it was 4703 because, well, it almost is.
Dozens of Vietnamese refugees of all ages, as well as a few of their friends from the United States and all over the world, packed Baker Community Center on Wednesday for an early celebration of the Chinese New Year, which falls on Sunday.
Sunday will be the second new moon after the winter solstice and marks the beginning of the new lunar year on the Chinese calendar. However, the new year is also celebrated in Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and America.
Year of the Dog fliers, complete with an optimistic, determined-looking spaniel, covered the walls.
Dan Bates / The Herald
There was a buzz of excitement as people wandered in, both men and women dressed in ao dais – long, shimmery tunics traditionally worn for new year’s celebrations.
Before eating, the crowd stood and sang the song “Vietnam! Vietnam!” in Vietnamese.
“It’s about how we’re peaceful people, caring for each other, and don’t like to fight,” whispered Van Dinh-Kuno as people sang loudly. “It’s about using love to conquer.”
Dinh-Kuno pointed to a table in the front covered with a red tablecloth, five kinds of fruit, yellow mums, lotus seed candy, watermelon seeds and a roasted pig’s head.
The altar represents, among other things, their ancestry. Soon, three men approached the altar. They bowed to it, and then bowed to the crowd. Each represented a new year’s wish – long life, happiness and health, she said.
“Keeping traditions is very, very important, because we’re looking to the future, but also looking to the past,” Dinh-Kuno said. “If you don’t have a good look at the past, you’ll never have a good future.”
Styrofoam cups of egg drop soup circulated as organizers prepared to carve a roasted pig that lay in a long rectangular box.
Tables were packed with staples of Vietnamese new year celebrations, including thin, nearly transparent rice tortillas stuffed with meat and mushrooms, and banana leaves rolled around rice, mung beans and pork.
As she waited for her lunch, Khanh Van Pham, 4, who goes by the name Christine, surveyed the festive room.
As she stood with her grandparents, Tri Do and Bang Do, she practiced dance moves in her bright pink ao dai and matching hat. She didn’t see her favorite food anywhere, she said.
“Um … I like macaroni and cheese,” she said in her tiny voice.
After a plentiful lunch, there were gifts for everyone.
Some gifts, in small red envelopes, were chosen from a yellow-flowered tree. The envelopes contain lottery tickets and, in a few cases, cash. Other wrapped gifts were taken home to open later.
To those who celebrate the lunar new year on Sunday, the holiday holds the same magnitude as Christmas in the United States. It’s huge.
Like Christmas, there are tons of Vietnamese songs about the new year. There are parties and feasts and gift exchanges.
Vietnamese people aren’t as likely to make formal resolutions – such as to join a gym or quit smoking – but Sunday is still a time of reflection.
The first three days of the new year are crucial and set the tone for the rest of the year, Chinh Cong Nguyen, 76, said through a translator.
It’s very important to see your family and friends and remember good things about each other, he said. It’s also a time to mend hardships from the previous year.
“We always improve ourselves every year,” he said. “My time on Earth is less and less, so I do a lot of things to set a good example for my children and grandchildren and to make the community proud.”
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
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