HOLIDAYS : Celebrations Mark Year of the Pig

Margaret To has been trying to line up a porcine petting zoo for Chinese New Year, which kicks off Tuesday, ushering in the Year of the Pig.

So far, that is proving harder than the president of the Monterey Park Downtown Merchants Assn. had anticipated.

“We haven’t given up hope yet,” said To, who is organizing the two-day festival Saturday and Sunday that will include a parade, karaoke contest and 100 booths of games, food, art and flowers. And perhaps some real live pigs too.

Staggered celebrations will continue through Feb. 4 in communities throughout the San Gabriel Valley where there are large numbers of Chinese American residents.

The Chinese calendar, based on the movement of the stars and planets, is the longest unbroken sequence of time measurement in history, dating to 2953 BC. The ancient Chinese considered the calendar a sacred document; falsification of it was a capital crime.

Monterey Park, where more than a third of the residents are of Chinese descent, will launch its celebration at 7 a.m. Saturday with a 3-K run and breakfast. Participants will line up at South Atlantic Square, located at Atlantic Boulevard and Floral Street.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, the Chinese New Year Dragon Parade--featuring a 100-foot dragon, classic ’57 Thunderbirds, floats and marching bands--will wind along Garvey Avenue from Ramona Avenue to Atlantic Boulevard. Matt Fong, the state treasurer, will serve as grand marshal.

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The weekend Flower Market Street Festival will be located along Garvey Avenue from Garfield to Ramona avenues. It will have more than 100 booths, games, carnival rides, food and continuous stage entertainment, including a karaoke contest at Cafe Mirage.

Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (818) 280-6860.

The San Gabriel and Alhambra chambers of commerce are joining to present their fourth annual Chinese New Year celebration starting with a Monte Carlo night at the Polo Club in downtown Alhambra on Feb. 3 from 7 p.m. to midnight. It will feature hors d’oeuvres, a no-host bar, gaming and billiards. Reservations are $40 per person. For information, call (818) 576-2525.

Celebrations continue on Feb. 4 with a Chinese parade and street festival that is expected to draw 100,000 spectators this year.

The San Gabriel/Alhambra festival, held from noon until 10 p.m., will stretch from Garfield Avenue to Atlantic Boulevard and feature a stage with nonstop live entertainment, dragon and lion dances, more than 150 arts and crafts and food vendors and cultural performances.

The parade, which also features Matt Fong as grand marshal, will start at Del Mar Avenue in San Gabriel at 4:30 p.m. It will conclude at Garfield Avenue in Alhambra at 6:30 p.m. with a firecracker display.