Lunar New Year Celebration

Mining and other industries brought populations of Chinese and other Asian immigrants to Idaho in the late 1860s. Many Chinese immigrants found community in “Chinatowns” around the state. These communities celebrated religious ceremonies and holidays, the most important being Chinese New Year. Also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, the festivities are held before the first full moon in February. Lunar New Year celebrations are all about ushering in luck and prosperity! Rich in tradition and meaning, practices vary across Asian cultures.

Join the Idaho State Museum and the Idaho Chinese Organization as we kickoff the celebrations and honor the traditions of Lunar New Year in Idaho with music, food, performances, activities, and a special pop-up exhibit titled Celebrating Lunar New Year. Sushi Bros food truck will be on-site.

12-5pm Activities:

• Rabbit and Dragon Puppet Making
• Traditional Papercutting
• Chinese Characters Calligraphy Workshops
• Traditional Chinese Tea Service Demonstrations and Tastings
• Facepainting by Idaho AAPI Youth Alliance

12:00-1:30pm Performers will include:

• GongXi GongXi （恭喜恭喜） Boise Chinese Corner
  Meichun Lin, Fan Luo, Haotian Chen, Chen Zhao, Bryan Harr, Jack Magar, Brad Purcell, Muffy Koch, Kenneth Horn, Annemarie Prozzillo, Jane Armstrong, Courtney Shey, James Tuffield, Zengdi Chi, Holly Blackwelder
• Lunar New Year Chant (春节谣） Idaho AAPI Youth Alliance
  Ethan Shen， Brayden Pan, Albert Pan, Frankie Bai, Wesley Bai, Ariel Li, Andria Li, Helen Zhang, Chris Li, Andrea Zeng， Monica Clark
• Fashion Show （时装秀） RiverStone International School
  Rayeanne Sun, Min Hua, Cora Stimpson, Yule Stimpson, Sedric Stimpson, Tray Stimpson, Hui Love, James Love, River Love, Malea Heineck, Ellie Jorgensen, Vivienne Cloyed, Konrad Raymond, Bryce Nanavati, Mia Thompson, Elsa Tischler, Kailani Kurth, Khanh Truong, Jiho Shin, Sina Heineck, Madi Kline, Leandra Achana, Amy Siqi Cao, Miles Mehall, Noel Abebe, Rose Ngalamulume, Rodrick Robert, Fiona Van De Graaff, Ethan Ebbers, Ethan Davis, Cloe Cervantes, Mylie McRoberts, Misha Wichita, Kimmy Snodgrass, Chloe Scovell, Lucas Eidson, Shang Shi, Mingcheng Jiang, Ben Love
• Asian Parents （亚洲父母） Alex Guo
  Alex Guo
• One Cut Plum （一剪梅） Renaissance High School (Directed by Peng Li)
  David
• Kung Fu Performance （功夫表演） Kuna Kung Fu
  Chancy Tienhaara, Jetrin Taylor, Julia Taylor, Kyle Wooten
• Sumuzhe （苏幕遮） Riverstone International School
  Siqi Cao
• Empty World (这世界那么多人) RuiZe Sun, Ryan Sun, Chen Zhao
  RuiZe Sun, Ryan Sun, Chen Zhao
• Can She Do Magic? (她会魔法吧) Renaissance High School (Directed by Peng Li)
  Vivian, Steven, Quinn, Paw, Olivia, Jason, Alex, Cami, Ashlyn

3:00-3:30pm

• Boise Traditional Chinese Dance Group

MCs include Alex Guo, Elena Li, Caitlin Yang, William Wang.

Please note, performers and schedule subject to change.

We are proud to partner with the Idaho Chinese Organization. Thank you to the Idaho Capital Asian Market for their generous donation.