Museum of Surrey marks Year of the Snake with free celebration
The public gathered on Feb. 8 for the museum’s annual Lunar New Year event
The Museum of Surrey marked the Year of the Snake on Feb. 8. (Shayoni Ganguly)
Community members came together at the Museum of Surrey to celebrate the Year of the Snake on Feb. 8.
The museum’s free Lunar New Year event, hosted in partnership with the Chinese Village Club, a Surrey-based non-profit, served as an opportunity for attendees to learn about Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures.
Activities at the event included live performances, dragon dance teaching, poetry performances, traditional and modern dance, tai chi performances, and storytelling.
Visitors had the chance to see “brand-new performances, calligraphy, gaming, face painting, and the dragon dance,” said Ying Liu, president of the Chinese Village Club, who spoke to The Runner through translations from the non-profit’s Sophie Jin. “The performances are the most attractive [part].”
The Museum of Surrey has been hosting its Lunar New Year event since 2019.
Last year’s Lunar New Year event at the museum, which kicked off the Year of the Dragon, was quite crowded by the performing section, Liu said, so this time around, the organizers divided the performances into four sections.
She added that hosting events like these are important because they allow people to see how Chinese communities celebrate Lunar New Year.
“[It’s] to feel the culture, customs, atmosphere … [of] China,” Liu said. “We express our culture, and people from different cultures try to communicate with each other.”
Attendee Kelly Cleak said it is good to celebrate and learn about different cultures.
“We looked up [the celebration] right as we were leaving and found out there was an event today and thought it would be fun to take the kids,” Cleak said.
Liu said she hoped visitors left with smiling faces and red envelopes, among other event features.
“[We] wish everyone a happy, happy new year, and best wishes [for] 2025.”
