The Taiwan Hall in New York held a “Golden Snake Celebrates, Welcoming the Spring” group gathering on the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake (January 29th), amidst a lively atmosphere. Lion dance performances, New Year’s greetings from dignitaries, cultural and art performances, traditional experiences, prize quizzes, New Year games, and tasting of hometown delicacies were all part of the event, one after the other, blessing the local residents and overseas compatriots with a happy and auspicious New Year.
Inside the Taiwan Hall, the festive decorations were abundant with New Year paintings and couplets, exuding a strong New Year’s vibe. The lobby featured a “photo booth” with couplets that read “Fulfilling blessings fill the world, auspicious spirit of the snake brings Spring.” The festive event kicked off with a vibrant lion dance performance by the Taiwanese Lion Dance troupe, followed by dignitaries taking turns to deliver New Year greetings to the Taiwanese locals.
Among the attendees were Lee Chih-Chiang, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, Chen Yung-feng, Director of the New York Overseas Chinese Cultural and Educational Services Center, Queens District 14 Council Member Donovan Richards, New York State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, New York City Council Member Sandra Ung, Queens County Supreme Court Justice Karen Lin, and Vice Chairman Fang Hsiu-Jung of the Taiwan Hall, who all visited the venue, wishing the locals a happy and prosperous New Year filled with good health and peace.
This year’s New Year celebration included an array of traditional cultural activities compared to previous years such as calligraphy, paper-cutting by teacher Hsu Liang-Lian, and lanterns brought by FASCA students. Vice Chairman Fang Hsiu-Jung of the Taiwan Hall mentioned that these traditional activities allow students on break during the Lunar New Year to experience customs, passing down Taiwanese and Chinese cultures to the younger generation overseas, preserving traditional customs.
President Chen Yi-Ming of the Taiwan Hall’s Senior Center distributed red envelopes to elders aged 80 and above. He mentioned that out of the 89 elderly participants who regularly attend events at the Senior Center, 40% are aged 80 and above.
The event wrapped up with a tasting session of Taiwanese hometown delicacies, including oil rice, fried rice noodles, dried tofu, seaweed, roast pork, barbecued pork, soy sauce chicken, and red bean sweet soup, delighting everyone’s taste buds.