Oh snap, it’s the year of the dragon! The Chinese New Year officially began on January 23, and lucky for me, I was in San Diego over the last weekend of January during the city’s 30th annual Chinese New Year Food and Cultural Fair.
I love cultural events like this. Various performance acts took the stage throughout the day, including these eye-catching slithering dragons that were like giant puppets with humans inside them.
Don’t feed that dragon!
This group of Chinese ladies provided traditional song and dance. I really enjoyed their harmonies and their matching outfits.
The host joked that their average age was 27. More like 77! It’s great to see older generations doing their best to pass on their cultural traditions.
A lot of visitors had fun with this statue of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang, outside the Chinese Historical Museum.
Purchase your favorite animal trinket. Or your own Buddha. There were various types to choose from, depending on which qualities are most important to you. Would you prefer Happy Buddha, Money Buddha, or Longevity Buddha? (I want all three!)
The 2012 Chinese New Year celebration in San Diego was a family-friendly event. This cowgirl enjoyed herself.
So did these girls.
What’s a festival without yummy food vendors?
A look behind the food tents as two women cook up something special.
The Naruwan Taiko Drummers were like an ethnic Blue Man Group, beating out intoxicating rhythms on a number of large drums.
The drummers had everyone enthralled. Except the girl in the glasses, who found me more interesting. I’m a looker, I suppose.
Check out a short clip of some of the performances from the 2012 San Diego Chinese New Year celebration.
I never realized San Diego had a celebration like this. I would’ve suspected San Fran, but how cool this is. Your pics make me feel like I was there. And I found it interesting you got a shot of the food cart with the Chinese menu. I’m so used to seeing different signs on festival food trucks. It makes sense, but it also felt so foreign. What a neat way to taste (literally & figuratively) another culture. Great post!
Thanks. I was lucky enough to be staying just a couple blocks away so I had to check it out.
Awesome photos that captured the “fun” moments in the celebration. I am not sure why, but San Francisco’s Chinese New Year celebration is just coming up this weekend …..(a little delayed isnt it?)
That is late, but it’s still worth celebrating!
I never missed the Chinese New Year festivities when living in London. The dragons play a big role even if it’s not the year of the dragon. A fun post.
The dragons were one of my favorite parts. The way they make those things move is captivating.