Brady Vinlove / The Mossy Log
The month of February might feel dreary and boring, but, in fact, it has many fun celebrations to lift one’s spirits. One of the most important holidays in China, the Lunar New Year, began on Jan. 29 with festivities continuing into February. Not only is the holiday significant in many Southeast Asian countries, it is also widely observed here in the Pacific Northwest. One iconic celebration for the holiday takes place at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland. To celebrate, the garden features beautiful seasonal decorations, engaging demonstrations and fun cultural performances which anyone can enjoy.
The Lan Su Chinese Garden was built to demonstrate the relationship between Portland and its sister city, Suzhou, in the Jiangsu province of China. The garden is meant to be an oasis of beauty and tranquility, inspiring visitors to share an appreciation for Chinese culture with people of all backgrounds. Part of celebrating Chinese culture includes an annual celebration of the Lunar New Year, which marks the beginning of a new year and the changing of the zodiac sign in the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese zodiac is a system that assigns each year an animal in a 12 year cycle, with 2025 as the year of the snake. People celebrate the holiday with red paper decorations, such as lanterns and envelopes, and hold lion dances — which symbolically serve to dispel evil spirits and bring in good luck for the new year.
The Lan Su Chinese Garden features several of these traditions and more for the Lunar New Year. Most noticeably, the garden is decorated with bright red lanterns, creating a festive and colorful atmosphere. Vibrant lantern statues on the water and cute lantern pandas in the rocks, are lit up in the evenings, adding a special feel to the gardens.
Even with the celebratory mood, the garden still feels serene, almost like a sanctuary. Everything is meticulously laid out, from the carefully arranged stone paths to the fish swimming in the calm water to the tastefully trimmed trees. Being in the garden doesn’t feel like being in the middle of Portland. The beautiful landscape invites one to forget about their worries and focus on the beauty around them.
This peacefulness does not mean the Lunar New Year celebration is not entertaining and educational, though. The garden hosts many craft and storytime events to engage children in Chinese traditions. There are also calligraphy and martial arts demonstrations to exhibit the talents of masters of these crafts. Lan Su brings in a variety of organizations to present cultural performances and celebrate unique traditions.
One group that performed was the Vietnamese Community of Clark County which aims to connect Vietnamese immigrants and refugees living in the PNW and to preserve and celebrate Vietnamese culture. The group hosted three performances: an ensemble played the đàn tranh, a traditional Vietnamese string instrument, and two groups of school children did fan and parasol dances. Performers wore vibrant traditional dress and attracted a large crowd of visitors.
Not only was the audience excited for the performances, performers were grateful too for the opportunity to connect with and share their culture. Emily Parker and Maivy Phan are two high school students who performed a traditional Vietnamese fan dance with the Vietnamese Community of Clark County. With the organization, they perform around the Portland and Vancouver area. They were excited to be performing at the Lan Su Chinese Garden and passionate about the opportunity to be a part of the Vietnamese community.
“I think it’s nice to meet other people in your community who come from the same place as you and to connect with your own ethnic group. It’s really nice to see a lot of Vietnamese people living here,” Phan said.
The organization highlighted that there are many ways to engage with Vietnamese culture outside of the Lunar New Year celebration. The group performs for the mid-autumn festival, another important Chinese holiday, and frequently around Vancouver such as at Clark College. Parker noted that the organization teaches Vietnamese to anyone to share the culture and she finds that particularly engaging.
Another exciting event was the lion dance, put on by Portland Lee’s Association Dragon and Lion Dance Team which performs at various events in the area, including at Lewis and Clark on China Night earlier in the month. At the Lunar New Year celebration, the group performed lion dances according to traditional legends and routines in order to bring good luck to the new year.
One performance included the lions dancing into the crowd to play and collect lucky money. The audience, especially younger members, enjoyed interacting with the lions who moved to the rhythm of upbeat music and bit their hands to accept money. The lions dancing around the garden along with the bright sounds of the cymbals in their mouths added to the festive mood and generated excitement for the new year. The team ended their dance by eating choi chang — a type of lettuce that symbolizes luck — and spitting it to the audience to give them blessings. Finally, they danced together again and revealed colorful banners to wish luck for the new year, making for an impressive performance.
While Lunar New Year festivities are ending, the Lan Su Chinese Garden will have its decorations up until Feb. 23 for anyone who wants to visit. They will also be holding a sensory-friendly lantern viewing evening on Feb. 22, which will be the last chance to see the garden illuminated for the holiday until next year. The garden is open year round with some special seasonal events, so be sure to visit to celebrate the diverse culture and natural beauty found within Portland.
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