SPRINGFIELD – Last Saturday, the Springfield Public Library and History Museum hosted a Lunar New Year festival in partnership with the Oregon Multigenerational Community Center at City Hall.
Festival highlights included live performances by Hé Lín Chinese Immersion Elementary School, traditional dances by Phi Long Lion Dance Troupe, Hawaiian Hula Dancers, Tibetan Folk Dance, and Waka Daiko Youth Drumming Group.
PHOTOS BY BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
Aimee Yogi, a partner in coordinating the event and a member of the Asian American Council and the museum’s ILLUMINATION Project team, said the event started as a way to bring folks together.
“We thought that the Lunar New Year festival would be something where we could share our values, family, and community,” Yogi said.
Vendor booths spread throughout City Hall provided information about Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School, an Asian American film festival called Disorient, let folks practice lantern-making and paper origami, color dragons, and write in shodō, a Japanese calligraphy.
The Eugene Asian Market set out candies and drinks for people to try. Hong Yuan, a guava-flavored hard candy, was a popular snack among many people. Other foods included sesame snacks, clementine oranges, which symbolize good luck, wealth, and prosperity during Lunar New Year celebrations, salty lemon hard candies, classic coconut candies, and White Rabbit milk candies. Drinks were also available, like green tea and a fermented rice punch.
A pop-up art display by Melissa “Mimi” Nolledo featured a photo essay called “Our Stories: Immigrants of America,” which highlighted contributions and voices of immigrants.
“It’s good about not just building community with the Asian-American community, but with everyone. That’s why the response has been so great. On a Saturday afternoon, you have all the children and families coming together,” Yogi said.
