Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2014

San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

Our family had a fantastic time watching the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade!  Estimates put the size of the crowd at around a million spectators, which is amazing -- especially given the fact that the total population of San Francisco is estimated at around 825,000 people.

Students from many Bay Area elementary schools marched in the parade, dressed in costumes that ranged from traditional Chinese garments to horse costumes.  We were particularly impressed by the kids marching in the parade on stilts from San Francisco's West Portal Elementary.

The lion dancers and dragons were a huge hit with our son (and likely with hundreds of thousands of others).

Here are a few pictures from the parade.  The lighting was not ideal for our blogging camera, but hopefully you'll find the pictures fun anyway.

We were near the end of the parade route, in the bleachers in front of the Hilton and right below the pedestrian bridge.  In this first show, you can see the end of the parade route (which was lit with enormous lights for the television cameras).


Political figures driving by in vintage cars:



Marching band approaching:






 Firefighters' tiger dancing team, led by a vintage fire truck:


 Somewhat frightening giants:






Another marching band:


Supervisor Scott Weiner:


BART bus-float:


One of many dragons:








Photos of a few of the many floats:




A dragon:






Floats:






The enormous super-dragon (which ends the parade) approaches:





Saturday, February 15, 2014

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Lunar New Year Celebration is today at the Oakland Museum from 12 to 4:30, Sunday, Feb. 9th, 2014

The 13th annual Lunar New Year Celebration, The Year of the Horse is today, Sunday, February 9, 2014 from 12 to 4:30PM.  This is an event for the whole family to celebrate the Lunar New Year as the Oakland Museum rings in the Year of the Horse with an array of Asian traditions in arts, crafts, food, demonstrations, live music, dance, family activities, and more.  Performances include lion and dragon dances, plate spinning by "The Happy Chef," contortion acrobatics by Inka Siefler, a magic show by The Magic of Chin-Chin, martial arts by Vovinam America, stories by Storyteller Megumi and Oliver Chin, traditional music by Melody of China, Taiko drumming by Jiten Daiko, K-pop dance with UC Berkeley's Korean Performance Group, and Bollywood and Bhangra dance performed by Duniya Dance and Drum Company.

Resources:

The Oakland Museum of California
Oakland, CA
museumca.org

The Year of the Horse


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Museum of Monterey, Allen B. Knight Ships Collection, Monterey, CA

"The Great Republic" ship model is on display at the Portola Hotel and Spa, on loan from the Museum of Monterey,'s Allen B. Knight Ships Collection.  My son was mesmerized by the "Great Republic" model ship and has been fascinated with them ever since our visit.  The Museum of Monterey has a Allen B. Knight Ships Collection which I want to take my son to visit!

Resources:

Museum of Monterey
5 Custom House Plaza
Monterey, CA
(831) 372-2608

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Lunar New Year Celebration on Sunday, Feb. 2nd, 2014 at Habitot in Berkeley, CA

Habitot Museum in Berkeley is having a Lunar New Year Celebration this Sunday, Feb. 2nd from 9:30AM to 4:30PM.  The admission will be free that day and they will have dragon parades, black inn calligraphy, and the children will be able to creat dragon puppets.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, San Francisco, CA

This week I am going to take my son to see the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in San Francisco.  This memorial is located right in the middle of the Yerba Buena Gardens and celebrates Dr. King's life and his life's mission.  If you walk behind the waterfall, and read the quotes on the wall, it brings me to tears!  There are several waterfalls and engraved statements dedicated to unity.  The whole effect is amazing!

Dr. King's speech, "I Have A Dream," is its' entirety was delivered on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.


Resources:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
745 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, "I Have A Dream"
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.com