Chinese School Greets Year of Snake

Six-year-old Kevin Wei, wearing a red and black traditional Chinese hat with a long ponytail, sat transfixed by the movements of the brightly colored lions that were dancing rhythmically to the beating of the drum and clang of the cymbal.

The Year of the Snake is coming, and Sun Yat Sen Chinese Institute ushered in the Chinese New Year at Chatsworth High School on Saturday morning. Following the lunar calendar, the Year of the Snake comes every 12 years, this year beginning Jan. 24.

After watching the traditional dragon dance, Kevin, of Woodland Hills, ran up on stage to try to learn tai chi, a type of martial arts characterized by slow, relaxed, circular motions. A crowd of about 200 watched while Kevin and other students carefully tried to follow the instructor’s movements.

Although activities this year were simpler than in the past, it was no less fun, said Lena Lee, principal of the school. In addition to dragon dances and martial arts demonstrations, the outdoor festival included a magic show and a song about recycling in sign-language.

Sisters Carissa, 15, and Trisha Wong, 13, performed to hip-hop music.

“We didn’t want to do the Chinese dances because we wanted to do something different,” Carissa said. “We wanted to bring the American culture to the Chinese culture.”

From the patterned Chinese hats to the traditional outfits and red decorations, the festival reflected Chinese culture.

Parent Aileen Shen of Reseda said the school and celebration helped keep traditions alive for her two children.

“I didn’t expect them to learn that much from just one day a week, but they speak perfectly now,” Shen said, looking at her son, Jasen. “It’s important to let the little kids know the culture.”