'Gong hay fat choy': Braintree hosts first Lunar New Year Festival

BRAINTREE − Chinese lanterns hung in the entranceway to Braintree Town Hall on Sunday, framed by an American flag on one side and an engraving of George Washington and his generals on the other. As people streamed into the building for the town's inaugural Lunar New Year Festival, the juxtaposition embodied how Braintree's growing Asian population is starting to take its place at the center of civic life.

When Justine Huang, lead organizer of the festival, moved to Braintree 20 years ago, people of Asian descent made up only 2% of the town's population, she said. Today, that figure stands at more than 17%.

The strength and vibrancy of the Asian community in Braintree was on full display Sunday as celebrants ushered in the Year of the Rabbit with a lineup of musicians, dancers and other performers.

Host Kylin Gao, of Boston Asian Radio and TV, said that during the Lunar New Year in China, 2.1 million people travel home to reunite with family, making it the "largest human migration in the world." She thanked festival organizers, sponsors and vendors for helping bring everyone together.

Mayor Charles Kokoros noted the high attendance for the festival.

"There are a lot of people in this room," he said, looking at the crowd.

The mayor said he expects the festival will recur annually, though he, Huang and other organizers suggested the high school for its next host because of its larger capacity.

Kokoros ended his comments by saying, "Gong hay fat choy!" ("Happy New Year!") to great applause. He then "dotted the eyes" of the lions, waking them for the traditional lion dance performed by the Boston Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club.

Each of the two lions was operated by one performer in the rear and another in the front. Rows of children crowded around, mesmerized and a little nervous as the concealed dancers made the lions stomp, twist and rear high into the air as musicians thumped drums and clashed cymbals. At one point, the lions devoured oranges, symbols of prosperity, and spit them out again to kids lucky enough to catch one.

Pete Maitland, of Braintree, attended with his wife and two children, who snacked on Mochinuts, a cross between Japanese mochi and American doughnuts.

"We're interested in Lunar New Year," Maitland said. "As a family, we love all the different cultures in Braintree. Our kids have friends from all different backgrounds."

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Next to take the stage was the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association's Diabolo Team, which presented a Chinese yo-yo exhibition. Chinese yo-yos are larger than the American variety. They detach from the strings on which they twirl, and can be flung through the air from one performer to the other.

The troupe of high school students danced acrobatically as they juggled and twirled their yo-yos. During the performance, the lights went out, and the yo-yos glowed in the darkened auditorium, drawing oohs from the crowd.

Ryan Chao, 17, said he cherishes the experience.

"It's one of the most unique things I've ever done, being one of the only groups that does it. It's really cool," he said.

"It represents the culture," added Ryan Zhu, 15. He said the art originated in Taiwan at the end of the 18th century.

Yang Shuwang closed the festival with a traditional "face-changing" performance, an ancient Chinese art which is part of Sichuan opera.

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Dressed in gold and red robes with an ornate headdress, Shuwang executed a series of slow and methodical dance moves and gestured with a large blue fan. Periodically, he made lightning-quick motions, partly concealed by the fan, which tricked the eye to make it appear that his face (or mask) had changed spontaneously.

Braintree High School's Asian Student Association organized several festive activities for children, including make-your-own lanterns and firecrackers and a "chopstick challenge," which had kids try to pick up small objects using chopsticks for prizes. Members of the club also worked to attract vendors and performers to the event.

Through its sponsors, the event raised money for multiple local causes. Huang, the lead organizer, said a traditional value of Asian cultures is respect for elders, and that part of the donations collected through the event will go to Asian Outreach, an elder services agency, to fund a free dim sum brunch for clients Jan. 25.

Other recipients include the Braintree Council on Aging and the Braintree Community Food Pantry.

"Asians in town care," Huang said about the donations.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree Town Hall holds first ever Lunar New Year Festival 2023