Monday Feb. 10, 1997
Eastview Terrace celebrates Chinese New Year
By AIMÉE HARRISCollegian Staff Writer
Red, yellow and white flew through the air at the Chinese New Year parade on Friday night at Eastview Terrace.
Yu Liu of Eastview Terrace controls the dragon for the Chinese New Year's Day parade, which was held in the Eastview Terrace's complex. The dragon was borrowed from the Central Pa. Festival of the Arts. (Collegian Photo/ Illan Sherman - click for full size image)
"The dragon was pretty funny," said Meagan Brandt, 7,
an Eastview Terrace resident. "He kept (gnashing his teeth)
to everybody."
The holiday is known as the Spring Festival because it marks the
beginning of spring in the Chinese calendar. This day marked the
Year of the Ox.
Many people of Chinese descent live in the on-campus Eastview
Terrace, said Joann Dornich, apartment co-director, so this parade
was to celebrate the season for those residents and to teach others.
Janice Begay, an Eastview Terrace resident, whose son, Kendall,
5, marched in the parade was happy with the diversity the parade
taught.
"It's irreplaceable," Begay said. "I just hope
that when we graduate, we can find a place as diverse as this
to live."
And the children seemed to enjoy it themselves.
"Yeah, it was fun. I played the drum. (The dragon) was pretty.
I think it's fun to have a dragon," said Cathy Wang, 9.
The dragon in the parade is an official part of the Chinese New
Year celebration. Other traditions include cleaning the house
to get rid of bad fortune. Chinese families also decorate their
homes with red paper cut-outs to welcome good fortune. The New
Year Eve celebration is marked by fireworks. In the morning, children
can expect presents from their parents.
This was the first year for the parade at the terrace.
"We're hoping next year it will be bigger," Dorich said.
"We'd like to get some other Penn State organizations involved
and make our own dragon. We borrowed (the dragon this year) from
Arts Fest."
