Celebrating Asian cultures, Spokane’s Lunar New Year event returns to Riverfront Park after nearly 90 years

After 89 years, Spokane’s Lunar New Year celebration returned Saturday at Riverfront Park, showcasing Asian cultures through food, dance, fashion and music

Asian communities all over the Spokane area came together to celebrate the event held by Spokane United We Stand. In the Chinese Zodiac, the new year of 2022 is a Year of the Tiger, the third of the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the year of the Tiger are said to possess courageous and energetic qualities.

Before beginning the new chapter of Spokane’s Lunar New Year celebration, organizers passed out flyers detailing the previous celebrations that took place from 1888 to 1933.

News reports at the time detailed how “thousands of crackers were fired, bombs exploded and Chinese rockets were sent heavenward,” as they captured fireworks from the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Guests, “no matter what race,” were “made welcome with viands and liquors,” a flyer for the event said.

Roasted pig and chicken with Chinese whiskey were part of the past celebrations.

This year, organizers adorned Riverfront Park with red decorations, the color believed to scare off bad spirits and represent luck in China.

Community organizations such as the Spokane Veteran Center, the Korean Language School and Spokane City Sister Association were on site as well. Protecting community health was a major theme, with a donations bucket for the area’s Afghan refugees at the welcome and sign-up tables and a vaccination clinic for those looking to get their shots as the COVID-19 pandemic rages.

Kellyann Nguyen is a Vietnamese student at Washington State University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She called the Lunar New Year event a “safe space” where medical issues such as cultural differences or language barriers could be tackled.

“I grew up understanding the barriers that prevent BIPOC communities’ access to basic health care,” she said. “So being in the community is really fulfilling, especially for those uninsured and don’t have the health literacy to understand the importance of that.”

Attendees also watched cultural performances. Some performers, like Gonzaga University’s Filipino-American Student Union, performed traditional dances like the Bulaklakan, which celebrates green orchids and other flowers.

Throughout the music performances, a spokesperson for each group explained the significance of the performance.

Dancer Devika Gates is a first-generation Indian American woman who is the founder of the Natanam Dance School of Bharatanatyam, the first Indian dance school in Spokane. Bharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance form.

A Seattle native, Gates thought it was important to explain the meaning of her students’ performances to help guests understand the cultures represented. Students of her school also dressed in saris, a traditional Indian dress, and henna, a dye used to decorate the body for celebratory events.

“I wanted to make sure our girls, especially the little ones, had fun, because that’s what dancing is,” Gates said. “People were trying to do henna and asking about the cost, but I said this was all free so we could enjoy culture. We want you to come and enjoy our culture, because we appreciate when you share ours with us.”

The Spokane Hmong Association represented the Hmong culture through jewelry and clothing. A story cloth stitched together a tale about farmers tending to the land and cattle to support the community. The table also featured handmade earrings, bracelets and tassel hats.

Maylea Moua, a Hmong-American woman who attended Eastern Washington University, designed the logo of the celebration. She found the celebration helpful to the community as she educated people about the history of the Hmong community in China, Vietnam and America.

“People came up to me who didn’t know who the Hmong were, so asking where we’re from and the history was important,” she said. “I wanted to educate people about who the Hmong are and our history and why we’re here in America, because we helped Americans in the Vietnam War.”

Asian food trucks were also part of the event. Copies of a 105-year-old cookbook, filled with American and Asian dishes, were presented. Food trucks also paid tribute to Asian culture. Sangsantia, run by chefs Joe and Pat Seng, sold out of its food and only had vun, a Laotion-Thai dessert, left by the day’s end. Joe specializes in fusion dishes, meals that, he said, carry “essence of history” in their tastes.

“How we share our food is culture, and there’s unique dishes for everyone’s culture,” Joe said. “Somebody’s ‘maeh thuu,’ their grandmother, just passed it down, and now you just make it your own over the years.”

Chef Mathew Truong’s Chinese father grew up Vietnam. As a Spokane native, he finds the opportunity to connect with his Asian culture through Vietnamese dishes such as banh mi.

“Me being half Chinese is difficult sometimes because it’s not being seen as Asian sometimes, but when I give them this product and they say, ‘This is amazing and reminds me of home,’ it’s like a sense of acceptance.”

The event ended with a Lion Dance featuring red and yellow dragons and a firework show meant to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck.”

Guests received a red envelope containing a coupon and a message from the Filipino-American Student Union reading, “Pag may tiyaga may nilaga.” It’s a Filipino proverb meaning, “If you persevere, you will reap the fruits of your labor.”

Editor’s note: Kellyann Nguyen is a student of the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Maylea Moua attended Eastern Washington University. Corrections have been made to reflect that.