This year’s Chinese New Year officially welcomes the Year of the Rooster on Jan. 28. An extended holiday for the Chinese that’s also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year gives us a chance to understand a significant cultural event with a 4,000-year history. In Chinese communities around the globe, families and friends gather for this major holiday’s distinct rituals, which reunite loved ones for food, festivals and gift exchanges. Here are a few ways to enjoy Chinese New Year in Baton Rouge.
• Drop by the LSU Union Theater for the Chinese Spring Festival Gala Night, an annual variety show that features live demonstrations of kung fu, folk dancing and cross talking, a comedic form of performance art.
7-9 p.m. lsucssa.com
• Watch a traditional Lion Dance and savor your favorite Chinese dishes at Hunan Restaurant, which holds a Chinese New Year celebration every year. Pick up a 2017 Year of the Rooster calendar while you’re there. Begins at noon. hunanchinesefood.com
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• Sleuth out exemplary Chinese food at Dim Sum Restaurant, which serves a wide variety of homemade, steaming dim sum delicacies. Or, explore authentic Chinese fare tucked on the menus of Japanese spots Koi Sushi and Omi. dimsumrocks.com, koisushibatonrouge.com, omibr.com
• Host your own celebration and stock up on Chinese produce, fish, sweets, snacks, gifts, cooking equipment and other grocery items at the venerable Vinh Phat, the area’s largest Asian supermarket on Baton Rouge’s east end. Or visit Oriental Market near LSU, a charming Korean grocery with plenty of Chinese goods. vinhphatmarket.com, find Oriental Market on Facebook.
This article was originally published in the January 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.