At the municipal plaza, doing the Lion Dance for the New YearPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
East Brunswick's Ronnie Li, Empress of LionsPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Wishes for prosperityPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Wishes for good healthPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
EB PL staff on deck for the Lunar New YearPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
EDO Rob Zuckerman, BOE members Barbara Reiss and Liwu Hong, and Mayor Cohen celebrate the new yearPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Families and bubble tea for the New Year in East BrunswickPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Never miss a chance to pet a lionPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Lots of work by many hands made the Lunar New Year event happen.Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
All smiles!Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Superior Decorating of East Brunswick and BOE member Liwu HongPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Lucky cookies for the New YearPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
The eye of the dragon is delicious!Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Jellyman Media was there to meet your techo-communications needs.Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Caring for mental health needs in the Chinese communityPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
East Brunswick's AAPI serves the township's Asian communityPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Offering the Cantonese tea ceremonyPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
There be dragons!Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Orchids for love and beautyPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
A community meets itself in East Brunswick againPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Liwu, Rob, and Brad - the dragons of East BrunswickPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
East Brunswick Arts Coalition Chair Kimberley Conetta hosted the event.Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
Do you believe in magic?Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
A lovely voice and beautiful musicPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
A collective effort made a successful event.Photo Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
At the municipal plaza, doing the Lion Dance for the New YearPhoto Credit: Photos by Mark Carosiello, Ronnie Li, and Maureen Berzok for TAPinto East Brunswick
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - Dragons came to East Brunswick this weekend as the community came together to celebrate the Lunar New Year with magic, music, and energy. Several community groups came together to make the event - attended by hundreds of residents and families from 11:00 to 4:00 on Saturday, February 3 - an undeniable success.
The East Brunswick Public Library hosted the celebration with a long schedule of events directed by the East Brunswick Arts Commission that included orchid sales, a tea ceremony, music and song, magic, cookies, and bubble tea. It was a day of joy for East Brunswick with local officials joining members of the township as they "rang in" the Year of the Dragon.
Guests included Middlesex County Commissioner Charles Kenny, EB Mayor Brad Cohen, EB Business Administrator Joe Criscuolo, Economic Development Officer Rob Zuckerman, EB Council President Kevin McEvoy, Council Dinesh Behal, President Laurie Lachs, Barbara Reiss, Liwu Hong, Board of Education Board Members, and Dave Lonski, Chair of EB Recreation Parks Community Advisory Board, CAO, EBDO who joined this prestigious event hosted by EB Arts Coalition, AAPI of EB, HuaXia Chinese School EB at the EB Public Library. Sincere gratitude for generous donations of decadent Chinese delights from Suet Chan, EB Chinese Restaurant and refreshing Bubble Tea from Andy Leu, AKIHI of EB, and financial support from Superior decorating of EB.
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The conclusion of the event was the traditional Lion Dance which would make its way out the door of the library and onto the municipal mall to the delight of children and adults who cheered on the two lions who wound through the plaza, dancing and posing to the music of gongs and drums.
In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. People perform lion dances at Chinese festivals or big occasions to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits.
The lion dance is one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year. It is done to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year. The lion dance is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness.
Performed in a lion costume, accompanied by the music of beating drums, clashing cymbals, and resounding gongs, lion dances imitate a lion's various movements or demonstrate martial arts agility, depending on the style.