A yellow dragon, adorned with gold decorations and bobbing eyes, was dancing along East College Avenue yesterday.

Members of Pi Delta Psi, a national Asian fraternity still working on becoming an official member of the Multicultural Greek Council, celebrated the Chinese New Year like State College may have never seen before.

"I'd like to establish a tradition here," said Brian Chan, the fraternity's social chair.

The date of the Chinese New Year changes annually because it follows the Eastern calendar, which has a leap month instead of the Western calendar's leap day.

This year is the year of the rooster.

Chan said a Chinese line dance has never been performed before in State College.

The line dance started at the Big Bowl Noodle House, 428 E. College Ave., and ended at College Buffet, 1631 N. Atherton St., and stopped at nine different restaurants on the march in between.

Pi Delta Psi used traditional dance equipment, which included a head and tail, while other members played a drum, cymbals and a gong.

Chan said the fraternity raised about $800 through donations, sponsors and parties to buy the equipment.

"The equipment doesn't come cheap," Kevin Wong, the fraternity's social chair, said.

Wong said there are two teams of people who alternate for the head, tail and drum.

"It gets really tiring dancing with the head, which is about 15 pounds," he said.

Agnes Yip, an employee of the Big Bowl Noodle House, said although the line dance is commonplace in China, she was surprised to see it on the streets of State College.

"It was nice to watch; they are very good," Yip said.

Jim Rosenberger, a statistics professor, was walking along East College Avenue and happened to have his camera with him. He said he was taking several pictures to give to his students.

"We have a lot of Chinese students here in town," Rosenberger said. "This is the highlight of their year."

Vinny Wong (senior-biobehavioral health) said the significance of the line dance is to chase away evil spirits and wish good fortune to businesses.

"In Chinatown, the dance brings people together in the marketplace and restaurants," Wong said.

He added the line must enter each restaurant and bow down to the register and the kitchen.

Vinny Wong said the line left each restaurant, he was handed a red envelope with money inside.

"It's just to start the year off right with an abundance of wealth," Vinny Wong said.

Vinny Wong, who started the framework for the fraternity during the spring 2003 semester, said he wanted the line dance to shed light on Asian culture.

"Something we lack here at Penn State, despite the amount of diversity, is an awareness of the different cultures," he said.

Jess Montanaro (junior-psychology) said the line let people walking along College Avenue like herself see a little culture.

"I wouldn't have known unless I saw it," Montanaro said.

Chan said he grew up in New York City's Chinatown, and as a child performed in the parades with his martial arts class.

"I was the only one who knew, so I had to teach them the basic moves for the dance," Chan said.

Chan said the group practiced for about two months for yesterday's performance.

Kevin Wong said the tradition of performing the line dance goes back 4,702 years, according to the Chinese calendar.