Another beautiful Hilo day for the 8th Annual Chinese New Year Celebration held at Hilo's Kalakaua Park.
As usual, firecrackers and lion dancing officially opened the festival.
The sounds of music and greetings of Kung Hee Fat Choy (Wishing You Good Fortune) were heard over and over as people milled around the park, visiting the food vendors, the craft, the Feng Shui demonstrations, the Chinese art of caligraphy and I-Ching fortune Telling.
Many enjoyed the Keiki (children's) Chinese Costume contest. The first place winner this year was a little girl named Dana I featured on my blog last year.
Colorful banners, lanterns and signs waved in the breeze. Chinese umbrellas in many different colors were being carried by both old and young.
Alice Moon & Co deserve a lot of credit for all their efforts in staging this and several other festivals in Hilo through the year!
Chef Sandy Rivera Barr and Chef Alan Okuda of the Hawai'i Community College Culinary Arts Program at Hilo bring their students and serve free samples of food every year.
This year it was a delicious Chinese Pork with Plum Sauce served in taro buns and a side of Chinese Confetti Slaw dressed with Sesame Oil.
While the students serve, Chef Okuda, director of the Culinary Program at HCC, likes to 'whittle away time' by carving vegetable flowers
This year I celebrated by having my name spelled in Chinese characters with a bamboo design. I will be framing this for my hallway.
The Chinese New Year is determined according to the Lunar Calendar and marks the beginning of Spring. It lasts for 15 days ending with the Lantern Festival.
During the 15 days families and friends visit each other, gifts, usually of money in red envelopes are given and special foods are prepared...all the food served will be prepared with much symbolism to assure good fortune and properity to all.
To see more about previous year's festivals, please clock on the following links
The 7th Annual Chinese New Year in Hilo
Kung Hee Fat Choy - Chinese New Year Celebration in Hilo
Sun Nin Fai Lok and Kung Hee Fat Choy to you also, Pomai!
Posted by: Sonia | February 16, 2010 at 09:17 AM
Sun Nin Fai Lok and Gung Hei Fat Choi, Sonia!
Posted by: Pomai | February 16, 2010 at 09:06 AM