LI Children's Museum Hosting Lunar New Year Celebration This Weekend

UNIONDALE, NY — Long Island Children’s Museum invites visitors to hop into the Year of the Rabbit and explore the customs and traditions associated with Lunar New Year. The museum will host “Celebrate Lunar New Year'' on Jan. 28 and 29 from noon to 4 p.m.

Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival in China, while Koreans call it Seollal and Vietnamese refer to it as Tết. It marks the start of the new year of the lunisolar calendar and is celebrated all over the world. Each year in the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals; the year 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.

"The Children’s Museum is delighted to be working with cultural groups in the community to bring vibrant, authentic experiences to our audience," said Suzanne LeBlanc, president of the Long Island Children's Museum. "We look forward to welcoming families who celebrate Lunar New Year in their homes and to invite others to learn about activities associated with this global holiday and explore shared connections."

Throughout the weekend, visitors will be able to experience various cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year, including Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese traditions. They will be able to enjoy a variety of dance and musical performances, live artisan demonstrations, food samplings, craft stations and a Lion Dance.

During the weekend, visitors will enjoy a multi-sensory celebration, where they can:

• View artist demonstrations of Tai Chi martial arts, sugar painting, dough sculpting and calligraphy.
• Make their own Riddle Lantern, a tradition that goes all the way back to the Han Dynasty, and Rabbit Lanterns to celebrate the story of the Jade Rabbit.
• Enjoy a variety of dance performances including the traditional Lion Dance, folk dances and Peking opera dance.
• Play jegichagi to honor the Korean Lunar New Year and make your own jegi to play with at home.
• Make your own paper peach blossom to adorn your home, recognizing the symbol of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
• Explore music from the sounds of the ancient Chinese instrument guzheng to traditional and contemporary songs.
• Sample “lucky” foods traditionally served at family celebrations.

All "Celebrate Lunar New Year" activities and performances are included with museum admission.

The family festival is made possible with the support of JPMorgan Chase & Co., in partnership with the Nassau County Office of Asian American Affairs.