It’s the Year of the Dragon!
Several hundred people attended a street fair Sunday to celebrate the Lunar New Year at Chicago Avenue and Dempster Street in Evanston.
The celebration was sponsored by Main-Dempster Mile, Evanston ASPA, Evanston Pride, Evanston Public Library, Studio 3 (an art studio and gallery) and Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita.
Evanston ASPA is a non-profit that promotes Asian culture. The Lunar New Year celebrates the first moon in the lunar calendar and is a major holiday in many Asian countries.
The Lunar New Year is said to represent new beginnings and good fortune. The year just starting has been designated as the Year of the Dragon, the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac.
Asian communities around the world observe the Lunar New Year by hosting family gatherings, attending worship services and participating in various forms of pageantry not unlike the way many people in the West celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The highlight of Sunday’s celebration was the traditional Lion Dance, which consists of several people covered by an elaborate costume of a creature resembling a lion, enabling the “lion” to do a dance to a drumbeat.
Credit: Desiree Shannon
The Lion Dance contains many elements of symbolism relating to the coming of a new year. The purpose of the dance itself is to chase away evil spirits and bring good fortune for the upcoming year.
The theme of starting the new year with positive energy is one that is heard often from those who celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita said that she was impressed with the positive vibes on display at the celebration. “You can feel it,” she said.
Josina Morita. Credit: Desiree Shannon
She also indicated that she was impressed by the many non-Asians present, along with the large number of children. These attendees could take advantage of crafting opportunities where participants could make paper lanterns and dragons.
This is the third year that Evanston has seen a Lunar New Year’s celebration. Melissa Raman Molitor, ASPA’s director, said that the event grows bigger each year. She said that she hopes the celebration keeps attracting more sponsors and larger crowds in the coming years.
Melissa Raman Molitor. Credit: Desiree Shannon
Both Molitor and Morita say that events such as the Lunar New Year’s celebration help shine light on Evanston’s often overlooked Asian community. Morita said that people of Asian descent are the “fastest growing population in the area, but we haven’t been very visible. We want to share our culture with everybody.”
Molitor said that “we want people in our community to see themselves reflected in our community. That’s not something that’s happened for a long time.”
