In preparation for the Year of the Horse, the Wayland Chinese American Association (WCAA) held their annual Lunar New Year celebration at the Wayland High School auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m..
Walking through the high school entrance, visitors were greeted by an array of decorations. The tables covered with red tablecloths, and some members of the community set up stands that displayed elements of Chinese culture, such as paintings, porcelain and others.
There was also a set of stage performances featuring aspects of Chinese culture, including a variety of music, ranging from Chinese opera to popular Chinese love songs to traditional instruments. The shows also featured traditional and contemporary style dance groups, including the Artisan Dance Academy, Dong Fang Dance Troupe and Angel Performing Arts. There were also showcases of guzhuang, also known as historical costumes, and Chinese yoyo or diablo from the Newton Chinese Language School.
WHS Mandarin students also helped with work backstage, along with managing arts and crafts. The students also sang “The Moon Represents My Heart” (月亮代表我的心) by Teresa Teng, a popular Chinese song.
The celebration started with a drum performance by the Boston Synchrony Chinese Percussion Ensemble. Then, the Masters of Ceremonies (MC) Jing Gao and Isabelle Ren welcomed the audience to the celebration. Afterwards, they invited Massachusetts State Senator Jamie Eldridge, State Representative Carmine Gentile, Select Board Chair Carol Martin, Loker Principal Brian Jones, WMS Principal Deborah Romeo and founder and sponsor Sihong Chen Grace Harbor to say a few words.
“It’s just so wonderful to see the Chinese-American community able to highlight their culture, their contributions relative to Wayland or the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts and really celebrate the diversity that is really true here in Wayland,” Eldridge said.
The event featured freshman Mengchen Wang, sophomore Susannah Pepi and juniors Owen Chislett and Elijah Maali-Pohl as MCs who welcomed the performers on stage. One MC would read a statement in Mandarin, followed by an English translation by the other MC.
WHS students also performed solo, such as a modern dance solo “Moments of the Past” from sophomore Sophia Wan and a guzheng performance “The Fragrance of Jasmine” from M. Wang. The guzheng is a traditional Chinese zither with 21 strings. M. Wang originally started learning guzheng in first grade, but after learning it for a month or two, she lost interest in it. However, she rediscovered her love for the instrument in fifth grade.
“One of my friends played guzheng very well, and then I watched her performance, [and] I was like ‘Oh my god, I love this instrument. I’m gonna play it again’,” M. Wang said.
“We like to invite people with different backgrounds to help them get to know the Lunar New Year,” Mandarin teacher Yuping Wang said.
Traditionally, Lunar New Year features different foods that represent wealth, luck and prosperity for the new year, like fish, dumplings, long noodles and oranges.
“It means a lot to the Asian countries, so it’s a great opportunity to involve everyone in our Wayland to celebrate one of the important holidays in our culture,” Y. Wang said.
The event also provided an opportunity for those who don’t usually participate in the culture to embrace Lunar New Year.
“I think it’s very good to be integrated with this big part of the culture and be around the community,” Chittim said.
WMS Mandarin students also came to represent the Mandarin program at the middle school. They sang the 12 zodiac animal song and “Gong Xi Gong Xi” by Chen Gexin.
“[It’s important] that [middle schoolers] learn about the culture and about the language they are learning first hand instead of just hearing about it,” WMS Mandarin student Elliana Frenzel said.
