Chinese New Year events SAVOUR the sights, sounds and flavours of a celebration rich in ancient and modern traditions by taking in one of the many public celebrations for Chinese New Year this coming week: FEB. 14 TO FER. 27: Saiwanese Canadian Cultural Secrets celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with an extibinoen of ariters, Chinese cooking demen stration and lantern testival party at Airport Square, } 200 W. T3rd Awe in Vancouver. Call 207 QO0T tor times and details. FEB. 19 TO 20: VanDusen Botanical Garden at 5251 Oak St. in Vancouver celebrates Chinese New Year with entertainment from 3 to 30 pan anda Chinese market with food, flowers and crafts from Tb aa. to 10 pan. Abo: demonstrations of dower bulb sculpting and fantern-making. FEB. 19 TO 2): The 1999 Canadian Airlines Chinese New Year Festival fills Vanconver’s Plaza of Nations with entertainment sporting denranstra- tons, food, flowers, crafts an carnival games. For tickets and into, call the festival hotline at 415-6313. SATURDAY, FEB. 20: Lonsdale Quay Market rings in the new vear with lion dancing by members of Shao Lin Hung Gar Kung Fu Association start- ing at 2 pum.and martial arts demonstrations from 3:15 pan. to 4 p.m. SUNDAY, FEB. 21: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden ww 378 Carrall Sc. in Vancouver's Chinatown celeb. ates the new vear with an "East meets West” cultural exchange, Admission is tree. with special displays and events from LO aa. to 4:30 p.m. SUNDAY, FEB. 21: the Chinese New Year parade, an annual tradition, begins at noon on Pender Street at Carrall, with thousands of people lining the streets of Chinatown to cheer fion dancers amidst firecrackers and music. S AY, FEB. 27: North Shore Multicultural Society will hold a com: SATURDAY, FEB. 27: North Si Multicultural Society will hold munity ceichration for Chinese New Year, 2 to 4 pam. at North Shore Neighbourhood House, with tood, crafts, games and entertainment. Admission is by donation, Layne Christensen News Reporter layne@nsnews.com ACROSS the North Shore this coming week, families will be blending Eastern traditions with Western ways in the celebration of Chinese New Year. Tuesday, Feb. 16 marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit, the fourth year in the ancient 12-year lunar cycle, a Chinese astrological system that has been used for centuries throughout Asia as a guide for business and romance. The lunar new year is a time of renewal, a time to clean out last year’s misgivings and welcome new fortunes. Historically, much preparation is necessary to welcome in the new year. Homeés are filled with flowers and fruit. Every corner of the house is cleaned thoroughly before New Year's Day because no housework, especially sweeping, must be done immediately after the new vear lest one sweeps good luck out the door. — Layne Christensen Newcomers seek setilement services MANY more newcomers from Asia are discovering the North Shore as a desirable place to live. Ginny Wong, a setcement counsellor with the North Shore Multicultural Sociery, has seen an increase new inimi- grants from mainland China and Taiwan sezking the soci- ety's assistance in adapting to a new wav of fife. Families with school-age children “are attracted to the education system here,” she said. Many move trom other parts of the Lower Mainland, said Wong, because “they know that the North Shore is very multicultural” and their children will have a better chance of learning English here than in an area like Richmond where the concentration of Asian immigrants is much higher. According to a recent United Way study, there were 3,670 new immigrants trom China who settled on the North Shore trom 1991 to 1996, eweomer clubs like the North Shore’s Orchid Club for y increase in. memb Vhe club's membership has increased trom 30 whei started seven vears ago to 260. For more Orchid Club intor- mation call 351-6322, — Layne Christensen CHRIS and Audra Chuang will celebrate Chinese New Year with their sons Theo, Timmy and Terrence. The children will receive “lucky packets” of money wrapped in . red paper, the house will be decorated and the family will follow customs to ensure good fortune in the coming year. NEWS photo Paui McGeath North Shore families ready for the Rabbit Married people give money wrapped in red paper called “lucky packets” to single friends, relatives and children. Red scrolls are hung in the house with messages of good health, luck, long life and prosperity. On the eve of Chinese New Year, families celebrate with a reunion dinner and offerings are made to ancestors. Sticky rice is prepared for the “kitchen god,” whose job is to report to heaven about family activities. The rice will stick his mouth shut. After dinner, many families light firecrackers to scare away bad luck for the year, Before the new year, many children get their hair cut and adults buy new clothes. The lunar new year is the most important and celebrated festival of all the Chinese holidays. But many Chinese families living here find it difficult to observe all of the cultures and traditions of their homeland. North Van resident Audra Chuang has been living in Canada for 10 years. She was raised in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Chuang sees Chinese New Year as a time to share tra- ditions and customs with her three children. But for Chuang, who works as an insurance agent, many of the customs are adapted to her family’s western way of lite. “We have become more simpler,” says Chuang. “Here, there is no school holiday.” In Taiwan and mainland China, school and businesses close for several days during the new year. Chuang gives lucky packets only to her children, not to friends and relati In Vancouver, the cultural mix lends a different atmosphere to Chinese New Year, says Chuang who gives gifts to friends at Christmas instead of during the Chinese New Year. Ginny Wong has also made changes to her New Year cele- brations since moving from Hong Kong three years ago. This year the North Shore resident and her five-year-old daughter will break tradition by having their New Year's Eve feast at a restaurant instead of at a parent’s home. Like Chuang, Wong will give lucky packets to her daugh- ter only, not to friends and relatives. But even if-she won’t be observing all of the traditions of the Chinese holiday, Wong says it’s important her daughter is aware of all the customs. “This is a good chance for kids to know about Chinese cul- ture,” says Wong,