DAVENPORT, Iowa — The brand new Year of the Dragon kicks off with the Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 10. To celebrate, the Quad Cities Chinese Association is throwing a community new year event from noon to 2 p.m.
The luncheon and celebration will be held at the QC Dynasty Buffet at 5388 Elmore Ave in Davenport. Pre-registration is requested by emailing qc.chinese@msn.com by February 8.
Admission is $20 with a reservation or $22 without a reservation. Children ages 3-12 get in for $10 while those under 2 years old can attend for free.
The program will include a lunch buffet, lion dancing, door prizes, a birthday celebration for Year of the Dragon babies as well as traditional red envelopes for children.
The Quad Cities Chinese Association has been operating since 1976, working to preserve and promote the heritage and culture of Chinese, Chinese-American and adopted families in the area.
Lunar New Year is celebrated by about two billion people across the world, including many Asian countries and the U.S.
It's based on the moon's 12 phases and cycles through 12 different zodiac signs. We are about to end the Year of the Rabbit and enter the Year of the Dragon. Because it's based off the moon's cycles, the exact date of the Lunar New Year switches each year.
Huamei Chang, an adjunct assistant professor in Chinese Language at Augustana College joined The Current to discuss the association's new year celebration event as well as typical Lunar New Year traditions and decorations. You can watch her full interview in the above video.
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