More than 500 people attended the Lunar New Year Family Festival last weekend, far surpassing organizer Jenny Mazanec’s expectations.
Mazanec, principal of the Santa Barbara Chinese School, collaborated with the Santa Barbara Public Library to host Sunday’s event.
She said the crowd was much bigger than the 120 people who RSVP’d.
“The overwhelming support far exceeded my expectations and the performances from our children got me all teary-eyed… some of them really needed this experience to cultivate their interest and pride in their cultural heritage,” Mazanec said.
Guests packed into the Central Library’s Faulkner Gallery, quickly filling every seat, sitting on the floor, and squeezing together to get a glimpse of the wide variety of performances by Santa Barbara Chinese School students and local musicians.
The arts and crafts were a hit with the hundreds of little ones in attendance; tiny hands practiced Chinese calligraphy, paper-cutting, lantern-making, and block-printing.
Mazanec says guests are urging the Santa Barbara Chinese School to make this an annual event, with the Santa Barbara Public Library already inviting the organizers back for the next Lunar New Year.
The night before, the Chinatown Remembered event also drew a large turnout, with dragon dances, an art gallery, 3-D photo viewing, hot tea, and Chinese lanterns lighting up El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park grounds.
Santa Barbara Asian American/Pacific Islander Solidarity Network and the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation collaborated to bring Lunar New Year traditions back to the area where Chinatown once stood.
The backdrop was El Presidio itself, illuminated by the images representing Santa Barbara’s historic Chinatown. This larger-than-life display left many in the audience feeling reconnected with their heritage.
“Several people who have moved here in recent years from communities with regular public Lunar New Year activities appreciated being reunited with tradition,” says Karena Jew, organizer for the Santa Barbara Asian American/Pacific Islander Solidarity Network.
