WFU hosts Chinese New Year Festival with games, food, dancing and music
Wake Forest University will celebrate the most important holiday for the Chinese by bringing in the year of the rooster at its sixth annual Chinese New Year Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 29. The festival, which will be held in Reynolds Gym, Room 201, is free and open to the public.
The Chinese New Year, which starts with the first new moon of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later, will officially start on Feb. 9.
Wake Forest’s festival, which was initiated in 2000 by Cristina Yu, a Wake Forest librarian, features demonstrations, performances and hands-on activities highlighting various aspects of Chinese culture and participants dressed in historical Chinese costumes. The festival has significantly increased in popularity over the years, growing from 200 attendees its first year to 700 in 2004.
This year, participants can make clay roosters and a rooster clock and play traditional children’s games, such as Chinese yo-yo and shuttlecock kicking. Other highlights include performances of the traditional lion dance; a Chinese wedding ceremony; martial arts demonstrations; and children’s dances. Performances begin at 1 p.m.
Authentic Chinese cuisine from Winston-Salem’s Peking Restaurant on Silas Creek Parkway will be available for a small charge.
Students from Wake Forest’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association and Asian Student Interest Association as well as members of the Winston-Salem Chinese American Association volunteer at the festival and participate in various performances.
The Chinese New Year Festival is funded by Wake Forest’s Center for International Studies, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office of the Dean and the student activity fee.
For more information, call 336-758-5675.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To arrange an interview, contact Pam Barrett at the News Service at 336-758-5237.
Categories: Arts & Culture, Community Impact, Happening at Wake
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