WESTFIELD – On Saturday, February 24, The WestfieldArea Chinese Association (WACAA) hosted a Lunar NewYear Gala with cultural games and live performances, celebrating the Year of the Dragon at Roosevelt Intermediate School. The afternoon games and evening gala attracted approximately 800 participants from Westfield and neighboring towns. This is the first time since 2019 that the Lunar New Year gala has been held in person in public venues. The celebrations from 2020-2023 were either canceled, moved online or downsized to private venues.
The cultural games in the afternoon focused on a variety of traditional Chinese artifacts and were kids friendly. Chloe Zeng, a 10th grader from Allied Health at UCVTS, said that she really liked the ink calligraphy with brushes because it was “so unique to Chinese culture.” Her twin sister Carrie Zeng, who attends the same high school, said she was so busy volunteering at the “Make Your Own Pins” booth that she did not get to try other games. Their younger brother Alvin Zeng, a sixth grader from Edison Intermediate School, said that he liked the games of “Pin the Tail on the Dragon” and “Ring Toss.”
One of the most loved shows of the live performance in the evening is the Zumba dance performed by Lulu’s Zumba group. Lu Qiu, who is the leader of the group, said that “We are indeed a happy and active group. Although we are all working fulltime to support our families and raising children, we are brave to participate and willing to give. Many dancers were on stage for the first-time.We danced out of confidence, beauty and friendship! We used our dynamic dance to show that we are fearless and priceless. We look forward to meeting new friends in the Year of the Dragon.”
Sarah Wu, who performed in two of the most well received programs “Shanghai Blossom,” a talk show emulating the latest hit TV show in China, and ethnic dance “Spinning Hats of Yao Girls” with the Purple Swans Dance Troupe that closed out the evening – said that she is delighted to celebrate with her Westfield area neighbors and honored to be part of Purple Swans, a non-profit that raises awareness of mental health in the Asian American community and the general public in New Jersey with an objective to create a positive impact in Peoples’ lives.
According to Wenjia Qiu, President of WACAA, “The festival brought our community together through cultural performances, traditional artifacts and most importantly, the spirit of diversity and unity. We are very proud of our community members who made this possible.” Mona Zhao, a resident of Westfield, observed that she was mostly impressed with the local residents who came from all walks of life and participated enthusiastically in the performances: “So many multi-talented community members made this celebration a truly sensational experience. There was the biologist who played the belt drum, the Biology professor who did the photography, the auditor who led the Zumba team, the Wall Street analyst who produced the promo videos and posters, as well as the HR expert who was the director of the show.”
Superintendent of the Westfield School District Dr. Ganzalez and his wife attended the Lunar New Year celebration. WACAA was grateful to Roosevelt Intermediate School, which generously offered space, technical support, and staff assistance for this event. Special thanks also go to the hundreds of volunteers who contributed to the months-long planning process and assisted with the many logistics on the day of the event. It is also worth mentioning that the event received financial support from 14 sponsors, whose generosity contributed to the success of the celebration.
WACAA wishes a Happy Year of the Dragon to everyone who celebrates Lunar New Year and anyone who would like to have some extra luck in 2024! Please visit www.westfieldchinese.org/ for more information about the Year of Dragon celebration and upcoming events.
