Teaching tradition to the next generation: Sacramento celebrates Spring Festival

Thousands of Sacramento residents celebrated the Spring Festival and welcomed the Year of the Dragon on Saturday at Luther Burbank High School.

This festival’s mission is to teach Chinese traditions for younger generations, said Frank Xie, co-president of the Chinese New Year Cultural Association, the nonprofit organization that puts together the event.

The Spring Festival has been a decade-long tradition that not only welcomes the Lunar New Year, but honors Chinese culture.

Saturday’s festivities included dragon dancing, a Chinese performing arts show and vendors from Asian communities across Sacramento. Shiqiao Li, the other co-president of CNYCA, said this festival is a community celebration.

Xie and Li came to the Sacramento area from China as students. They are alumni of the University of California, Davis, and met through CNYCA. For them, the Spring Festival helps keep their cultural traditions alive.

“We want to remember where we come from,” Xie said. “...We want to pass on the history, the culture to the next generation.”

And in its 26th year, the Spring Festival did just that.

Sophie Shao, 12, and Grace Gao, 14, attended the New Year celebration for the first time. Shao and Gao are Chinese-American and live in Sacramento.

While there to get extra credit for an art class, Shao and Gao said festivities like these are important in honoring their cultural backgrounds.

“This event is our culture.” Shao said.

Sarah Zhang took her children to the Spring Festival this year. Having immigrated to Sacramento from China, Zhang said the Spring Festival exposes her kids to their culture. That’s an opportunity that can be difficult being away from her home country, she said.

“We come here so they know when they came from,” Zhang said. “It’s so they can get to know Chinese culture better.”

This event not only aims to introduce Chinese traditions to a younger generation, but to be a cultural outlet for those feeling homesick.

Shiyi Teng, 22, moved to Sacramento from China eight years ago. She emphasized how important is it to celebrate her cultural traditions, even if she’s miles from home.

“We need to share and show our Chinese culture,’ Teng said.

The Spring Festival took nine months of organizing, Xie said. The Spring Festival serves as a celebration for everyone in Sacramento — those from Chinese communities and even those who aren’t, said RungFong Hsu, the festival’s mistress of ceremonies.

“Here we are, teaching our tradition, our heritage to our younger generation and to the people who are not familiar with Chinese culture,” Hsu said. “It’s all worth it.”