EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — On Saturday, the El Paso Museum of History hosted the 7th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration to welcome the Year of the Horse.
The free event was in partnership with community organizations such as the Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, El Paso Museum of History, Mexican American Cultural Center, The Market, Ai-Hwa Chinese Language School, Pho Tre Bien, Korean American Association of El Paso, and more.
The Lunar New Year Celebration took place from noon to 5 p.m. in Cleveland Square Park with several activities scheduled across museums and Cultural Affairs Department sites throughout the Downtown Arts District.
The many events planned included hands-on activities such as food demonstrations and red envelope making, as well as an artisan market featuring Asian-owned businesses.
In the afternoon, cultural dance performances brought entertainment to the crowds, followed by a cultural procession.
Although the city gathered to celebrate on Feb. 28, Lunar New Year Day took place on Feb. 17. The celebration is meant to mark the beginning of the new year according to the lunar calendar. The holiday is also recognized as “Chinese New Year,” but its celebration is not just limited to China. Other countries around the world, including Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, observe the holiday as well.
According to Visit El Paso, the Lunar New Year was once celebrated in the early 1900s by El Paso’s Chinese community in Downtown and Southside El Paso, the location of what was the city’s Chinatown. The celebrations featured fireworks and community gatherings, but eventually came to an end following the decline of El Paso’s Chinese population after World War I.
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