Chinese New Year in Chinatown, Honolulu

Experience the genuine Chinese new year of the earth rat at the Chinese Cultural Plaza, between Maunakea and River streets (near North Beretania Street) in Chinatown Honolulu. The cacophony of clanging brass cymbols and drums of the dancing lions with crackling firecrackers will be found in and around the courtyard of the Chinese Cultural Plaza.

During the rest of the year, the courtyard is where locals rehearse with traditional Chinese instruments such as the Erhu or calisthenic routines. Chinese martial arts with fans or swords are continued in the tradition of Chinese physical culture at the adjoining Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, whose honoring statue has recently been reconstructed with a new pedestal,

Lion dances will happen during the Lunar New Year celebrations, culminating with in Chinatown Honolulu in Hawai'i.nd on a different day each year because it's a moon based calender with each year beginning at sunset of the second New Moon after the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. last two weeks until the full moon or Teng Chieh.

The Chinese new year officially starts on Thursday, February 7, 2008, see the Chinatown Honolulu website for the complete Chinese New Year schedule of events. The celebrations always takes place on a weekend and the Chinese New Year Celebration at Chinatown Cultural Plaza will happen on February 1st and 2nd of 2008, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.. The Chinese martial arts parade will be held on Saturday at 4:00 p.m February 2, 2008. The streets Maunakea and Hotel will end up carpeted red from the fragmented paper of firecrackers but will be cleaned by the municipal street sweepers early the next morning Feed good luck money to the lion dancers in Honolulu's Chinatown and visit the malls Maunakea Kekaulike which have fresh produce daily and cheap eats.

There are twelve animal signs in the Chinese moon calender; Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar
combined with a second cycle of the five Chinese elements; metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The last rat year was in 1996 and the last earth rat year was in 1948. There is no cat in the Chinese lunar calendar because the rat let the cat oversleep causing the feline to miss Budda's call of the animals for which the cat has never forgiven the rat and this is why forever chasing the rodent.

Kung hei fat choy - Wishing you success and prosperity

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