Suddenly, the drums grew silent, as the children stared with surprise, and a little fear, at the sight of a 40-foot long scarlet dragon running behind them.

The Penn State community celebrated the Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade yesterday in Eastview Terrace. The event was sponsored by University Apartments.

"The dragon is a kind of Chinese ancient imaginary animal, and is always a symbol of good luck," said Chin-E Li (graduate-electrical engineering), who played the dragon's head. Children from the State College community made up the dragon's body.

"Imagine for a moment that all of these graduate students here in Eastview Terrace and in Graduate Circle aren't able to get home for the most important holiday of the year," Johnson said. "That's why we're doing the parade -- to give them a little moment to know that somebody cares that this is a special day for them."

The Lunar New Year celebration lasts 15 days, and is celebrated between January and February. Wendy Warner, an organizer of the event, said tradition dictates on the fifth day of the celebration, the dragon visits every store in a town in the hopes of bringing good luck and good business.

While they were watching the dragon run down the streets, the spectators received small red envelopes containing two chocolate coins, a symbol of prosperity.

It is the Chinese custom to name each year after an animal. This year has been designated the year of the rabbit. According to Chinese horoscope, people born in the year of the rabbit are "nice to be around. They like to talk, and many people trust them."

Jen Hoppes (sophomore-human development and family studies) said the event is important because it teaches children about different cultures.

"It lets kids know what other cultures do," she said. "Since a lot of the kids that are here are from different countries, they learn to interact with each other and get to learn things from each other that they probably wouldn't otherwise."