INCLUDES ‘YEAR OF THE HORSE’ CELEBRATORY VIDEO | Discover how a group of determined students, sponsors and families, kept this colorful tradition going …
The David Douglas High School South Building Cafetorium fills with revelers – there to celebrate the coming of the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A few days before the official starting date of the Asian Lunar New Year – on Friday evening, February 13 – the coming of the “Year of the Fire Horse” was regally celebrated inside in the David Douglas High School (DDHS) South Building Cafetorium.
It was held, the Lunar New Year actually commenced on February 17
Watch our video highlights of this celebration. Spoiler alert: It’s got a great Lion Dance!
However, this annual celebration was almost canceled, due to lack of funding.
That’s what we learned from the sponsoring organizer, Debbie Kiyokawa, DDHS’s Attendance Coordinator, Targeted Support and Improvement Mentor, and Asian Student Union (ASU) Advisor.
Preparing to celebrate the new Lunar New Year is DDHS ASU President Allan San – who also performs that evening, as a member of the White Lotus Lion Dance troupe – with his organization’s faculty sponsor, Debbie Kiyokawa.
“Our ASU roup put on this entire event all on their own,” explained Kiyokawa . “This is a big deal for both our students and our community.
“Unfortunately, because of the budget situation, the David Douglas School District was not able to help host the event, as they did for the past three years,” she continued.
Guests have many culturally appropriate food selections offered to them by gracious volunteers.
“Our ASU members did not want to skip having a Lunar New Year celebration, which is one of the better-attended events all year long,” Kiyokawa told East Portland News, as the event was commencing. “So, with a very small group of about 30 volunteers, we were able to put this on, thanks to a lot of fundraising and support from local businesses!”
As in past years, the celebration featured community resource partners’ representatives seated at tables around the perimeter of the capacious room – many of them holding small gifts for guests.
Guests select from 22 prizes baskets filled with items donated by local merchants to help the ASU support the Lunar New Year observance.
Community nonprofit organizations and government agencies provide valuable resource information to guests.
“It’s important to have this, because we have a large Asian-American population in our community, and this celebration honors all of them,” observed Kiyokawa, who softly smiled as she watched guests arriving, being served a hot supper, and visiting the resource partners.
These DDHS ASU Dance Group perform Shanziwu, the traditional Lunar New Year fan dance – an ancient, elegant folk performance using silk fans denoting prosperity, good fortune, and joy – but done to modern song.
This DDHS Tams Dance Group picks up the pace with their lively ‘K-Pop’ dance performance.
“Good things that come out of hosting this, of course – it brings our community together, including our greater community,” Kiyokawa said. “But more than this, it gives our kids an opportunity to learn how to work together, building leadership and organization skills.
“Additionally, several of them went out into the community and asked for donations – that’s not it’s not easy for young people to do.”
The White Lotus Lion Dance group – one of its daring performers is DDHS ASU President Allan – thrills the audience with acrobatic skills.
With DDHS ASU event committee members on stage, the organization’s sponsor, Debbie Kiyokawa, tells the special meaning of this Lunar New Year.
As she introduced the cultural entertainment program from the stage, Kiyokawa told the gathering that the Lunar New Year celebration lasts until the Lantern Festival on Tuesday, March 3rd.
And, she pointed out, the “Year of the Fire Horse” only occurs once every 60 years. It’s considered to be an unusual and high-energy occurrence, because it’s the combination of the Horse animal sign and the Fire element that align only in a “sexagenary cycle”.
The efforts of the DDHS ASU to present the annual celebration despite the lack of School District funding paid off; this year’s Lunar New Year celebration was a marked success for the about 350 guests who attended.
Happy Year of the Fire Horse!
© David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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