As much as we like to complain about the wet weather and the rising cost of real estate in the city, one of the biggest reasons why I love my hometown of Vancouver so much is its diverse multiculturalism. You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy some green beer on St. Patrick’s Day and you most certainly don’t need to be Chinese to celebrate Chinese New Year either. Bring on the Year of the Dog!
You might remember last year when we went to Lougheed Town Centre to celebrate Lunar New Year. With more of a Korean population in that area — I think it’s safe to say that stretch of North Road is our unofficial Koreatown — the festivities included more Korean content.
At Brentwood Town Centre, where we went last Saturday, the celebrations were decided more “Chinese New Year” in scope. Even so, they definitely brought a few novel ideas to the performances, especially with the lion dance on two unique contraptions.
I also noticed that most (if not all) of the songs were in Mandarin, a sharp departure from the predominantly Cantonese language and culture of my childhood. The Chinese population in Vancouver is certainly shifting. I very rarely hear anyone speak Toishan (Taishanese) anymore.
From what I can gather, plenty more Chinese New Year celebrations are happening throughout Metro Vancouver this week. Check out your local calendars for more information. What’s your favorite part of Chinese New Year? I’m sure Addie is looking forward to receiving all those lucky red envelopes (“lai see”). Gung hay fat choy! Xin nian kuai le!
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