Celebrate Chinese New Year in Largo

The first-ever celebration of the Chinese New Year is Feb 2 in Largo Central Park, said Largo City Commissioner Curtis Holmes at a recent meeting.

"This ought to be a pretty, nifty thing," Holmes said.

If you are looking to celebrate 2013, the Chinese Year of the Snake, the Largo Central Park celebration is from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The Chinese New Year event includes children's games, art, crafts, and food. The live stage performances will include the dragon dance, lion dance, traditional folk dance, traditional music and kung fu demonstrations, according to a Facebook post by one of the event's organizers.

While Largo's celebration is on Feb. 2, due to the track of the new moon, the 2013 Chinese New Year actually begins on Feb. 10. The holiday is celebrated at the start of the first month of the Chinese calendar, which also uses lunar and solar calendar systems.

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival (marking the end of winter and welcoming the spring), is the most important social and economic holiday in China, according to History.com.

It is a time to honor household and heavenly deities and ancestors, and to bring together family for feasting.

On the fifth day of the Chinese New Year, businesses often light firecrackers in the belief it will bring prosperity and good fortune. The 15th day of the 15-day holiday includes The Lantern Festival and marks the end of the celebration.

• Symbols for Chinese New Year include red envelopes filled with money, given to children and unmarried adults with no job. The red color is for good luck and abundance. And the dragon, which is used in many Chinese celebrations, is often present in dancing performances on the 15th day of the New Year.

The first 200 children at the celebration in Largo Feb. 2 will get the traditional red envelopes as a gift, according to a Facebook post by one of the event's organizers.

 新年快樂 (Happy New Year!)

If you go to the Chinese New Year Celebration in Largo Central Park:

• Largo Central Park
• Saturday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Free to attend
• Children's games, art, crafts, food and live entertainment.
• The regular train rides at Largo Central Park will still be available.