The Tet Festival

The crowd watches traditional Vietnamese lion dancers perform Friday in the Vietnamese Village of the 2012 Tet Festival of Southern California.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Festival-goers watch a traditional two-person lion dance Friday in the Vietnamese Village of the 2012 Tet Festival of Southern California.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Dressed in the traditional Vietnamese outfit called “ao dai,” Kristilynn Tugado, 1, of Riverside takes in the sightsFriday during the 2012 Tet Festival of Southern California.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Vietnamese soldiers line the entryway Friday as patrons enter the 2012 Tet Festival of Southern California. The costumes are traditional Vietnamese soldier uniforms from the 1700s.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Traditional Vietnamese lion dancers performFriday in the Vietnamese Village of the 2012 Tet Festival of Southern California.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)