Minneapolis' Midtown global market hosts Chinese lion dance

January 28, 10:32 AMMinneapolis City Guide ExaminerLori Wilson

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Photo courtesy of Trazy

For one night only, you can watch an actual Chinese lion dance in South Minneapolis.

You might be thinking, wait, aren’t lions from Africa?

Let me clarify: For one night only, you can watch a Traditional Chinese Lion Dance as part of the Chinese New Year celebration on January 30th, 2009.

 With much anticipated hoopla and hurrah, the Midtown Global Market will ring in the year of the Ox on Friday, so be sure to deck yourself out in red and head over to East Lake Street!

Photo courtesy of Payton Chung

During this festive community celebration, not only will Chinese elders give you a traditional fortune telling, but you can even perfect your Wok skills in cooking demos throughout the evening. Activities run from 4 – 8 p.m., so you have plenty of time to stroll around the Market and get culturally connected with egg rolls and other tastes of China. Activities also include live entertainment, and, of course, the traditional Chinese lion dance that begins at 7 p.m. To usher in the year of the Ox, dancers will elegantly circle the Market floor in a decorative, stunning display of colors among admiring crowds. Don’t forget your camera!

The Chinese New Year celebration also runs in conjunction with the Market’s Friday Family Night, so plenty of culturally-geared activities will be available for the kids as well, including a drawing of their name printed in traditional Chinese calligraphy.

A few fun facts about the Chinese New Year:

If you are an ox, you are one of the most patient, calm and stable signs in the Chinese zodiac, so hopefully your virtue will come in handy with the busy crowds on Friday.

If you know anyone who is an ox, become friends with them. According to Chinese astrology, they are the best friends you could choose.

The Chinese respectfully and superstitiously honor the traditional foods prepared during the New Year celebrations. Eating the lotus seed signifies having many male babies, and dried bean curd demonstrates fulfillment of wealth and happiness. But be sure to stay away from tofu; the color signifies death and misfortune!

Here’s to a year of prosperity!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!