First off I would like to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year!
In case you hadn’t heard we are now in the Year of the Tiger, which apparently embodies courage and bravery…. I hear some of you muttering ‘what a load of codswallop’, but my response to that is, that even if you are a sceptic (or skeptical for our American readers) why not try to be brave and courageous anyway? I inadvertently celebrated this occasion at the Japanese-themed Yamashiro restaurant in Hollywood. To be honest, I had half forgotten that the New Year was upon us and had coincidentally arranged to meet a couple of my neighbors for a quiet drink. So as you can imagine we were quite surprised to find that the restaurant was super busy and there was a unusually long wait to be seated – it was only then that it struck us that people were flocking to the ‘Mountain Palace’, on a usually slow Tuesday evening because they wanted to honor the new year at a venue that is associated with Asian culture. It helped make the evening extra special, as in spite of living next-door to each other for several years this was the first time we had ever spent time together socially. So it felt rather symbolic that we got to start a new chapter at the beginning of a new year.
I think this is one of the very few good things that I will give the pandemic and lock down partial credit for – as I am usually quite a private person, but staying at home for the last couple of years meant we weren’t given much choice other than to become more interactive with our neighbors. Fortunately for me, mine are rather nice!
It often amuses me that people in Hollywood are usually very vague or even secretive about how old they are, but if you ask them what animal represents them in the Chinese horoscope they have no issues with blurting it out. Seeing as each sign only comes about every 12 years it then isn’t that hard to pinpoint their actual age – try it… It would probably be a good question for bouncers to ask when they suspect that someone is using a fake ID – or they could ask their weight, as oddly enough that is printed on your California ID/Drivers license – which is also a bit embarrassing for many of us who are still struggling to lose that Covid15 (and then some).
We all know the Queen is currently 95 years old – she certainly isn’t coy when it comes to sharing her age, she even gets two birthday celebrations every year so she couldn’t hide it if she tried. Whether you are a fan of the British monarchy or not, I think many of you can still appreciate Her Majesty? So I doubt it come as a surprise that she was born in the Year of the Tiger (1926). She is certainly renowned for her resilience and strength, even in times of struggle – perhaps this is the year she goes full Tiger and gets extra brave and has the courage to face whatever the world (or her family members) throw at her next! It’s interesting to note that the last Year of the Tiger was in 2010, which coincided with the Diamond Jubilee to mark her 60th anniversary on the throne. And yet again she displayed remarkable fortitude especially considering that her husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh was hospitalized with a bladder infection and couldn’t attend any of the official celebrations.
With the cancellation of this year’s Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown due to the pandemic, communities throughout Southern California are invited to come together and celebrate Lunar New Year virtually. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles is presenting a special 30-minute program, “Through the Eyes of the Dragon,” which will take place on Saturday, February 12 at 11 a.m. PST — visit the Chinese Chamber Facebook at facebook.com/lachinesechamber to watch.
There are a few in-person events still going ahead I have listed a few below. but as we have all learned by now it would be wise to double check before you head over:
Alhambra Lunar New Year Festival returns on Feb. 20 with all-day entertainment
Chinese New Year Celebration at the Huntington takes place on Feb. 5 and 6 and features lion dancers, a mask-changing artist, martial arts demonstrations, Chinese music and art and craft demonstrations
Lunar New Year at Santa Monica Place runs through Feb. 8 with cherry blossom wishing trees, festive gold and red lanterns and holiday themed activities.
Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure Park runs through Feb. 13 and features Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, the first appearance of Raya from “Raya and the Last Dragon,” child-friendly crafts and activities, Lunar New Year marketplaces, live holiday entertainment and appearances by popular Disney characters.
Have fun and be safe!
Email us at info@britsin.la if you have any questions or comments
Cheers!
Eileen
