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The Year of the Dog brings dancing lions
(Beaumont Enterprise, The (Texas) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 27--PORT ARTHUR -- Students shrieked, squealed and scattered as the lion danced closer and closer to them, hungry for red envelopes Wednesday at Dick Dowling Elementary School.
The lion kept searching in the excited frenzy of its dance, only to find students -- and a few ended up in its mouth.
The pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade students welcomed year 4704, the Year of the Dog, with the dragon and lion dancers, traditional Vietnamese dances and explanations of the traditional celebrations.
Asian astrologers differ on whether the year is 4704 or 4703, according to a variety of sources.
The Lunar New Year, or Tet, is on the first new moon after the first full moon after Jan. 1. This year, Lunar New Year's Day is Sunday.
"Chuc Mung Nam Moi," Principal Dwight Wagner, dressed in purple Vietnamese attire complete with a hat, said slowly so the students could repeat it.
"That means Happy New Year," he added.
This is the first time the school had a Tet observance since Wagner has been principal, he said.
"I wanted to bring learning alive," said the school's counselor, Jessica Nguyen, who organized the celebration.
The lion, which traditionally brings luck for the coming year, didn't scare 9-year-old Brianna Leonard, a third-grader.
Brianna and seven other third- and second-graders donned yellow or red costumes and danced to the flowing strains of Vietnamese music. A half-dozen fifth-graders wearing traditional Vietnamese dress walked across the stage for a fashion show.
Each year is represented by one of 12 animals of the zodiac. Last year was the Year of the Rooster. Next year is the Year of the Pig or boar.
In Chinese legend, the animals had a race to see which one would be first in the cycle, fifth-grader Roderick Landry explained during the program.
The rat jumped on the ox's back at the beginning of the race and jumped off in time to beat the ox. The pig came in last, Roderick said.
Those born in the Year of the Dog are loyal and honest, have a "deep sense of justice" and "always keep a secret," 11-year-old Beau Chance explained when all of the animals were introduced. Other years of the dog were 1970, 1982 and 1994.
The dragon and lion dancers will perform at 11:45 p.m. Saturday at the Buu Mon Buddhist Temple, 2701 Procter St. in Port Arthur. The program includes a countdown, entertainment and blessings and speeches by monks and city officials.
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