Dragon Procession from San Diego Chinese New Year 2007

The Chinese New Year Fair will be held on February 16 and 17 at Third Avenue an J Street (San Diego’s Asian Historic Thematic District).

Over 50 food and craft vendors will share in this year’s Chinese New Year celebration, with activities for children including learning the Chinese zodiac and making traditional Chinese lanterns. Martial arts demonstrations, acrobats, and other performances will highlight this event.

Until then, you can celebrate the Chinese New Year by participating in all kinds of Chinese New Year Traditions, or just take a trip to the San Diego Zoo to see the Chinese pandas.

Other upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations include:

• Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino’s Lunar New Year Celebration on February 7-21
• Miramar College’s Chinese New Year Festival will take place on February 10
• New Shanghai Circus at Balboa Theatre on February 17

Post from: The San Diego Traveler

The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, also known as ‘Tết’, kicks off on Friday, February 8, and runs until Sunday, February 10 in Balboa Park. This event features non-stop entertainment, and will provide a fun and educational experience to visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

Highlights of this year’s festival will include:

• 3rd Annual Miss Vietnam of San Diego Pageant
• Kid’s Spotlight
• Fashion Show
• A-List Entertainment
• Golden Voice Singing Contest
• Cultural Village
• Vendors
• Carnival Rides
• Food
• Games

and more!

Entertainment Schedule

Friday

• The Sign-Dating Show
• Golden Voice Singing Contest Semi Final

***VAYA by Night***

• MC Thành Lễ và MC Ðinh Tú
• Ca Sĩ Như Quỳnh
• Ca Sĩ Huy Vũ
• Ca Sĩ Tường Nguyên
• Ca Sĩ Kim Hồng
• Ca Sĩ Ðại Ðỗ- Winner of 2006 Golden Voice
• Ca Sĩ Trung Dũng – Winner of 2007 Golden Voice
• Ca Sĩ Anh Phương
• Daniel Matthews Group
• Achilles The Magician
• UCSD VSA Cultural Dance
• Thiếu Nhi Đức Mẹ Thánh Tâm – Dance

Saturday

***Opening Ceremony***

• Van Kiep Lion Dance
• Open Ceremony
• Fire Cracker
• Lion Dance
• VAYA Cultural Dance Group
• West African Drums
• SDSU Chinese Martial Arts Club
• Continue Community Performances
• Threshold-UCSD Hip Hop dance 
• Westley Church Youth Group
• Cambodian San Diego Dance Group
• Ca Sĩ Toni Lê
• The Trio-Tam Ca
• Ca Sĩ Lê Minh
• Ca Sĩ Duyên Nguyễn
• Tiếng Nước Tôi Ca Nhac
• Ca Sĩ Mai Nguyễn
• The Trio-Tam Ca
• Quang Lê- The Magician
• Miss Vietnam San Diego 2008 Pageant
• MC Jacqui Nguyễn 
• MC Mikeal Nguyen
• Ca Sĩ Vân Quỳnh
• Ca Sĩ Helena Ngọc Hồng
• Quang Lê- The Magician

Sunday

• Festival Opens
• Ca Co Viet Nam
• Kid’s Spotlight – Bé Ngoan Bé Ðẹp
• Singapore Lion Dance
• Ca Sĩ Xuân Mai
• Ca Sĩ Justin Nguyễn
• Bé Jacqueline Nguyễn
• Ca Sĩ Hoài Hương
• Việt Ngữ Văn Lang- Lion Dance
• Việt Ngữ Văn Lang- Dance
• Trung Tâm Văn Hóa Giáo Dục Ngọc Minh- Dance
• Entertainment Break
• Community Performances
• MC – Thuý Anh
• Ca Sĩ Trần Thu Hà
• Ca Sĩ Justin Nguyễn
• Ca Sĩ Anh Phương
• Ca SI Dinh Tu
• Ca Sĩ Thiên Di
• Ca Sĩ Quân Anh Trí 
• Ca Sĩ Mai Nguyễn
• URBANFX – Hip Hop dance
• UCSD Wushu Martial Art
• Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể- Đức Mẹ Thánh Tâm
• Golden Voice – Giọng Ca Vàng Competition – Final

***VAYA by Night***

• MC Thúy Anh
• Ca sĩ Tâm Ðoan
• Ca sĩ Tiến Dũng
• Ca Sĩ Trần Thu Hà
• Ca Sĩ Ðại Ðỗ
• Ca Sĩ Trung Dũng
• Ca Sĩ Lê Minh
• Bé Ðức Khang

Background

Tết Nguyên Đán, commonly known as Tết, is the most important holiday in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year which is based on the lunisolar calendar.

Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. On Tết, Vietnamese visit their families and temples, forget about the troubles of the past year and hope for a better upcoming year. Tết traditionally marks the coming of Spring, so Spring is sometimes used interchangeably with Tết in Vietnamese.

For further information about preparation for Tết, along with customs,  ceremonies, decorations, greetings, and food, click here.

The Vietnamese American Youth Alliance is proud to host this year’s festival.

Post from: The San Diego Traveler