Chinese New Year Celebration

On a crisp cold wintry day, we met at the Washington DC Stake Center to begin preparation for the biggest celebration of Chinese culture, the Chinese New Year, to usher in the Year of the Goat. Two hours before starting time, volunteers busily set up twenty dinner tables and accompanying chairs, along with tables for food service, crafts and activities, and guest registration. Meanwhile, the decoration crew carefully hung up six large red lanterns, three above the stage and three matching ones at the back over the food. Imitation firecrackers with brilliant colors were strung on both sides of the stage along with authentic Chinese scrolls. Even the basketball rims were adorn with six paper lanterns, each composed of three three-dimensional representations of the Chinese word for spring time . Each dining table was covered with a white or red table cloth. Prominently set in the center of the tables was a good luck sign with a picture of a lucky person and four Chinese characters on the other (恭賀新禧) signifying "Good luck in the year ahead!"

The actual preparation began many days prior. A committee was formed with members from the two Chinese branches straddling the Potomac River, the Montgomery Chinese Branch in Maryland and the Twin Lakes Branch in Virginia. Indeed the celebration was a joint venture, with members of both branches staffing the subcommittees (food, setup/cleanup, decoration, and program) and participating in the program. On the evening before the event, a final dress rehearsal was held to run through the program on stage.

At 5pm, guests started to register at one of two registration tables and lined up around the eight crafts and activity tables: wrapping dumplings, kneading sticky rice balls, making Vietnamese spring rolls, chopsticks contest to pick the most rice, origami, Chinese knots, calligraphy, and a missionary booth. The dumplings and sticky rice balls were boiled in the kitchen and served as part of the dinner. The spring rolls were so delicious that they were eaten on the spot. Eager competitors skillfully picked up 40 grains of rice in the fastest time. Other participants enjoyed folding origami, cutting characters, tying Chinese knots, and writing Chinese characters with large brushes. The missionaries staffed a booth with posters and pamphlets and Books of Mormon in Chinese.

Promptly at 6pm, our two emcees, Thomas and Amber Jeng, introduced President Charles, president of the Montgomery Chinese Branch, who welcomed everyone to the celebration. After an invocation and blessing by Steven Cheng, we lined up in two lines at the serving tables and enjoyed the delicious cuisine.

Without warning, the beating of the drum (Richard Huang) and the clashing of the cymbals (Isaiah Shen) announced the entrance of the red and yellow lions (David Chang, Changle Nian, Elder Lim, Elder Gerber-Kai). Before ascending to the stage, the lions graced the presence of the audience by visiting the guests at their tables. Between each act, the emcees entertained the audience with a special Chinese riddle. The winner with the correct answer was invited to the stage to introduce himself, say a few words, and to accept a prize. The second act was performed by Joseph Cunningham on the Chinese flute and the gourd instrument. He was followed by an original skit performed by four missionaries (Elders Gerber-Kai, Ng, Liang, and Yang). The skit, entitled "Feed My Sheep," teaches shepherds the proper method of feeding their sheep with the special box from the Master. A special string orchestra quartet, composed of Michael Mallory, Jeremiah Mallory, Michelle Mallory, and 张丹, performed 茉莉花 and 夜来香 on three violins and one cello. Five young girls (Celeste Bates, Joanna Fugal, Amelia Ly, Cayleigh Zhao, Michelle Zhao) delighted the audience with the Spicy Girl Dance, 辣妹子. The emcees took advantage of the moment right after their performance before they exited the stage to provide special group interviews. Finally, the 雅音 (Ya-Yin) Choir under the direction of their chorister, 颜琦萍 (Christina Yen) and accompanied by their pianist 颜萱 (Tiffany Yen) sang three numbers: 爱的真谛， 静心等， 过年组曲 （小拜年，恭喜恭喜，恭喜发财）. The audience was invited to join in singing the third song. The closing remarks were given by Ta Cheng Hsu, president of the Twin Lakes Branch. After the benediction by Eva Chuang, the emcees invited the children to come to the stage to show respect to four elders (Andrew and Charlotte Shen, Hal and Kaye Jewel) before receiving red envelopes.

For the next ninety minutes, the massive job of cleanup commenced with everyone helping. With the hustle-bustle of putting up the tables and chairs, taking down decorations, and sweeping the floor, guests were also very busy with last minute hugs and photos, sharing addresses, and just catching up on old times. We are very grateful for the opportunity to share this important tradition with our families, friends, and community. We are thankful to the Twin Lakes Branch, President Hsu, and all of their members who helped this activity to be a very enjoyable and successful celebration. To all, we wish a very happy and prosperous Year of the Goat!

羊肥馬壯，國富民豐。
恭賀新禧!恭喜发财!

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