The Chinese Club of Western New York rings in the year of the rabbit

Women of the Buffalo Chinese Fashion Group align to show traditional Chinese clothing at the 2023 Lunar New Year celebration hosted by CCWNY at University at Buffalo's Center for the Arts.
pc: Cait Malilay

The Chinese Club of Western New York hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at University at Buffalo's Center for the Arts on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

An estimate of 1200 people attended this year's celebration of the year of the rabbit.

Jun Wang-Tiedemann, the president of CCWNY, said that the rabbit is a symbol of "prosperity, longevity and positivity."

"It is a year for contemplation, hope and relaxation. Our goal for this event is to celebrate and raise awareness for Asian Chinese culture in Western New York," she said.

Guests were greeted at the door where they received a red pouch with goodies.

CCWNY sells Chinese paper cut artwork.
pc: Cait Malilay

There were tables where they could learn more about the culture, like the art of Chinese paper cutting, and other organizations and services within the Buffalo community, including the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, the Buffalo Albright Knox Art Gallery Museum and Mental Health Advocates of Western New York.

The Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York props their table.
pc: Cait Malilay

""It is a year for contemplation, hope and relaxation. Our goal for this event is to celebrate and raise awareness for Asian Chinese culture in Western New York." - Jun Wang-Tiedemann, the president of CCWNY.
pc: Cait Malilay

Attendees were also entertained with a special visit from the dragon.

The dragon slithers its way to the front of the crowd. pc: Cait Malilay

Children had the opportunity to join in on the fun too where they could take part in activities like take a shot at the Chinese yo-yo.

To conclude the event, there were 27 performances put on by various schools and organizations that were each introduced by the hosts in both English and Mandarin.

One Amherst resident said that the show was her favorite part of the event.

"What I loved most was the precision of the dancers, and their costumes. The colors and the coordination of the performers were just wonderful,"she said.

Buffalo Fanghua Dance Group members gracefully sway their flowy dresses during their performance of "Big Fish" at the 2023 Lunar New Year celebration hosted by CCWNY at University at Buffalo's Center for the Arts. pc: Cait Malilay

CCWNY was first formed in 1954 to provide a home for the local Chinese community, increase representation, such as in local government policy making, and promote a mutual cultural exchange with the overall community of Western New York.

Those interested in becoming a member can visit their website at theccwny.org or follow their Facebook page to stay up to date on future events.

For updates on future articles, follow @cait_malilay_writes on Instagram.

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