A traditional Vietnamese dragon dance was part of the celebration last Friday at Saint Ambrose church hall in Fields Corner. Pat McGroarty photo

By Patrick McGroarty
Special to the Reporter

A crowd of hundreds filled a function hall at St. Ambrose Sunday morning for VACA's Tet Celebration, one of four taking place around the neighborhood in the weeks ahead to mark the lunar New Year on January 29. As the emcee quieted the crowd around 11 a.m., he asked visitors to stand for the national anthem. What followed were two anthems; first the Star Spangled Banner and then the anthem of South Vietnam.

The gesture was indicative of celebrations at both the Kit Clark Senior Center and St. Ambrose over the weekend, where young and old, Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese alike mixed to celebrate the evolving tradition and culture of the neighborhood's Vietnamese community.

At the Kit Clark Senior Center on Friday afternoon, a group of about 100 seniors chatted over a meal of home cooked Vietnamese cuisine while musicians, dancers, and singers entertained the crowd. District 3 City Councillor Maureen Feeney was in attendance, wishing the crowd a lucky New Year in Vietnamese. At-large Councillor Sam Yoon did her one better, spreading holiday cheer in Vietnamese and his native Korean.

"I myself was born in the Year of the Dog," Yoon said to the Reporter, referring to this year's designation as the Year of the Dog. The Lunar New Year works on a twelve-year cycle, with each year bearing an animal's name.

"I'm 36, so this is a good year for me," he added.

The pinnacle of the gathering was the traditional lion dance performed by young members of the Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts club.

"It's important to us to keep or tradition strong," said Vu Dao, 21, who donned a papier-maché Buddha head and urged the "lion" into blessing seniors who would fed him red money-filled envelops with prosperity, wealth, and good luck.

"We want people to know the best part of our ways," said Dao.

Lieng-Thu Dao, 23, who served as one of two dancers within the lion costume, is also the daughter of the Martial Arts club's instructor.

"Giving money brings prosperity to the giver, and the dancers are supposed to save that money and turn it into wealth," she said. "We will use the money to keep our traditions going by funding our dance program and buying another lion-costume head."

The troop also performed at the VACA Tet Celebration on Sunday morning, where the atmosphere benefitted from a drastically lower median age. Many children wore traditional "Aodai" dresses for the occasion and waited eagerly for the lion to appear.

After the lion had devoured generous offerings from many older attendees, the small envelopes were redistributed to children in the audience by Councilor Feeney and Jane Matheson of Fields Corner CDC.

The Martial Arts Club has two more Tet appearances before the community's flagship celebration at the Bayside Expo Center.

On Friday, January 27, they will perform at UMass-Boston's campus center as part of the Asian Center's Lunar New Year Festival from 4-7:30 pm. The free event is open to all UMass students and faculty, as well as the greater community. To encourage community participation, the Asian Center will provide shuttle bus service from the Kit Clark Senior Center on Dorchester Ave. to UMass beginning at 4 p.m. Organizer Phi Truong said carnival games and musical performances are only part of the draw.

"Unlike a lot of the Tet celebrations going on around Dorchester, ours will be held in English because we have invited the entire UMass-Boston community," said Truong.

The next day VietAID will host a New Year bash at the Vietnamese American Community Center from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The Bay Side Expo Center will play host to a celebration for the entire Vietnamese community of Massachusetts on February 4. By far the largest Lunar New Year celebration in the state, upwards of 5,000 people are expected at the all-day affair. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. admission is $5, but ticket prices jump to $25 and $35 for a nighttime dance featuring an appearance by California-based band Fantasia. For more information, visit the Expo center website at www.baysideexpo.com or call 617-233-6284.