Chinese New Year Celebration Takes Over Reading Terminal Market
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Chinese New Year isn't until Monday, but a big celebration for the Year of the Monkey took place indoors Saturday at the Reading Terminal Market.
Hundreds of people were gobbling up free pork and shrimp dumplings, trying their hand at calligraphy and enjoying performances of traditional lion dances.
"Three bows. They bow three times," says Betsy Lee with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, talking about the lion dances.
She says the purpose is to get rid of all the evil and bad spirits:
"All the bad things that happened in the year and bring in the new year of luck and fortune and longevity, prosperity and happiness."
Lana Tomasak from Scranton was at the celebration with her stepmother Kelly -- who is Chinese.
"She has been around with us for six, seven years now, but this is something new so it's kind of touching," an emotional Lana told KYW Newsradio. "I'm learning her culture and she is learning ours."
There will also be a Chinese New Year parade Sunday night, assembling just before midnight on the streets in Philadelphia's Chinatown.
There's another celebration in Chinatown on February 14th from 11am to 4pm.
