Chinese New Years Celebration: A Partnership Between TCC and the Chinese-American Society of Tulsa

1. Presented by Joy Betz Chinese New Year's Celebration: A Partnership Between TCC and the Chinese-American Society of Tulsa

2. To help prepare students for the global marketplace, Tulsa rings in the Chinese New Year with a spectacular celebration of dance, music, theater, and performing arts on the Chinese New Year in the TCC Performing Arts Center. The celebration starts with the Chinese lion dance followed by TCC president Dr. McKeon�s welcome address. The performance showcases local artists who put together classical and contemporary Chinese singing and dancing. Students in the TCC Chinese program use various performances to represent the best of both Eastern and Western cultures. For many TCC students it is a great learning experience. � Abstract 

3. Narrative  Chinese New Year, or as it is popularly referred to� Spring Festival�, is celebrated on the first day of the first moon of the lunar calendar. Approximately 300 B.C., during the rule of Emperor Yao, astrologers devised the lunar calendar for farmers to know when to plant crops and when to harvest them. Based on the phases of the moon, Chinese New Year occurs between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The corresponding date in the solar calendar, used by Western cultures outside China, varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th.

4. Chinese New Year, like the Western New Year, signifies turning over a new leaf. Socially, it is a time for family reunions, for visiting friends, and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stresses the importance of family ties. Modern Chinese New Year celebrations include the custom of posting red paper and displaying red painted objects, firing firecrackers, and performing lion dances to the beat of drums and gongs�all symbolism, intended to scare away evil spirits, should they return. Tulsa�s annual celebration event started 4 years ago in 2004 and was hosted by Tulsa Community College in partnership with Chinese American Association of Tulsa (CAAT). I am the TCC organizational liaison for this large, complex event. The various shows put on by local talent and the TCC Chinese student organization are free and open to the public. TCC generously donates the performing arts center theater space, lighting and sound support.

5. The event reaches out to the local Chinese-American society. In 2005, the event raised money for the Tsunami victims. Each year, around 1,500 local Tulsans and their families celebrate the Chinese New Year at TCC. There are about 12 different performances in each show every year. Performing organizations include: the Academy of Self Defense, the Agape Chinese Church, and University of Tulsa students who perform a lion dance and other Chinese folk dances. Luo Ming Han, former national martial arts champion and classmate of action film star Jet Li, has demonstrated martial arts each year. Mr. Luo has appeared in several action films in China. Soprano soloists Deng Guohong and Gao Qun perform �Spring Has Come� and �Qing Hai Tibet Plato� folk song. They are joined by TCC students, performing the duet �China�.

6. A comedy skit, �Cross Talk,� was performed by Tulsa Chinese School students and by TCC students enrolled in Chinese 4, taught by Joy Betz, instructor of Chinese. Betz wrote the skit. There was also a photo exhibit "Revealing Asia" presented by the Oklahoma Institute for Teaching East Asia, which was on display in the upper lobby" Several choral groups performed, including the Agape Church Children�s Chorale, Jenks middle school Chinese language class students, TCC Chinese students, Tulsa Chinese School, Tulsa International Baptist Church, and a group of air force pilots from China in an exchange program at Spartan Aviation.

7. A fashion show with traditional Chinese costumes which included QiPao, a traditional long fitted dress with narrow neckline, and dresses based on designs from the Tang Dynasty. As the TCC liaison in this huge organizational effort, I would present information and videos of this celebration for the OGEC conference, �Windows of the World.� Student Responses The TCC students love participating in this event. It gives them a chance to show off their developing language skills and participate in a little bit of China. This is the largest community event for Chinese-Americans in the Tulsa community. I am proud to be able to offer this experience in Chinese culture to the students, the TCC community, and the Tulsa community as well. � �

8. -- Also called the Lunar New Year January 26th, 2009 Chinese New Year

9. Festivities Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside China. New Year season lasts for fifteen days. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; these days is called Lantern Festivals. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Ch�xi. It literally means "Year-pass Eve". The first week is the most important and most often celebrated with visits to friends and family as well as greetings of good luck.

10. New Year Decorations

11. Dragon Dance

12. Waist Drum Performance

13. Spring Couplets Chinese people would write spring couplets with propitious words and paste them on their doors to celebrate the new year.

14. Firecrackers Firecrackers are either by themselves or strung in a long string. They are cased in red paper, as red symbolizes good things. The loud popping noise created by the explosion is thought to scare away evil spirits.

15. Chinese New Year Celebration 2009

16. China Trip

17. China Trip May 2008

18. Trip to the Great Wall, China

19. Panda Reserve in China