Home » Calendar of Events » January 2012
Year of the Dragon Temple Fair:
A Hot & Noisy Affair
Chinese New Year Festival
Saturday, January 28
A "SNEAK PEEKING" AFTERNOON
1pm - 4:30pm (By Donation)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
FULL DAY CELEBRATION
10am-4:30pm (By Donation)
Garden Members' Special
Suggested Donation: $5.00/person. No one turned away.
Free Stroller Parking!
Photo Credit: Maurice Li
Based on the temple fairs of old, this year's Chinese New Year celebration will consist of a "Hot & Noisy" (re-nao) mixture of traditional cultural activities. The Chinese Word "Re Nao" is often used to describe the "hustle & bustle" of crowds on the street.
Saturday, January 28
A sneak peek! Get a taste of the festivities to come on Sunday. Perfect for those who prefer to skip the crowd. By donation 1pm-4:30pm.
Sunday, January 29
Join us for a full day of celebrations. Including:
- Traditional Chinese games and activities: red couplet writing, calligraphy, bean bag toss, "ballon dragon" twisting, lantern riddles, "paper dragon" folding demonstration, dumpling making demonstration, traditional toys, arts and crafts
- Red envelopes handed out by "grandma and grandpa" (10am-noon only), incense and wish making at the altar
- Fortune Telling
- Water Calligraphy on the floor of Jade Water Pavillion
- Traditional Lucky Coin Toss for prosperity
- Live Music with Larry Yan on the flute and the spirited Chinese-Celtic tunes of the Black Bear Rebels & Friends, featuring Toddish McWong
- Food and Drinks: spiced "Dragon" tea & freshly-baked Bonchaz buns
- “Replay Your Tea with Us” - A modern multi-media tea ceremony blending the traditional Chinese Gong Fu Tea Ceremony with digital video processing. In partnership with Pandora Benevolent Society.
- Taichi demonstration with Derek Cheng
- Eco-Art 7-piece Dragon installation, in partnership with the Community Arts Council of Vancouver
JUST IN: COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (January 29)
DO YOU WANT TO WALK THE PARADE WITH US?
You can if you are a Garden member!
Garden members are invited to walk with us in the Chinese New Year 2012 Parade on Sunday, January 29.
RSVP is required. Please RSVP HERE with your FULL NAME. Feel free to bring one guest.
On January 29, we will meet at 11:30am in the Garden's Hall of One Hundred Rivers. The Parade starts at 12noon at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street (between Shanghai Alley and Taylor Street), proceeds east along Pender Street, turns south onto Gore Street, turns west onto Keefer Street and then disperses at Keefer and Columbia.
Take a look at the Parade route here.
Additionally, if you are a Garden member, sign in at the "members only" table when you get here on January 29. You will receive a stamp that will entitle you to "members only" privileges on that day.
ENTER TO WIN: GARDEN GETAWAY FOR 2
This year, as part of the Chinese New Year festivities, you can enter to win a “Garden Getaway for 2" that includes:
- 2 nights of accommodation at Pan Pacific Vancouver
- Sunday brunch for 2 at Café Pacifica at Pan Pacific Vancouver
- 2 one-year adult memberships to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
To enter, complete the contest ballot in full, in person, at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden January 17 - January 29 (10am – 4:30pm) 2012. Please note the Garden is closed on Mondays during this period.
Deadline for entry is 4pm on Sunday, January 29.
The Winner will be randomly drawn at 4pm on Sunday, January 29, and contacted shortly after.
Year of the Water Dragon:
Dragons & Dragon Boats
January 5 - February 29
Tuesdays - Sundays
10am-4:30pm
Entrance Included with Garden Admission
FREE for Garden Members
The dragon image remains a recognizable symbol, popularized by cultures across the globe and through the centuries. Its symbolic meaning shifts over time and place. In the East it is often revered as a symbol of fertility and good fortune; in the West, it often represents humankind's primeval nature which must be subdued by bravery and discipline in order to gain a chosen treasure. Regardless of where and when the dragon form appears, it has always been characterized by a quality of immense power, it has captured our imagination as it challenges us to find its hidden meanings.
This exhibition celebrates dragons and dragon boating throughout the world and heralds the year 2012, which is, in the Chinese Zodiac, also the Year of the Dragon. The exhibit presents dragons in their myriad forms: in shapes traditional and contemporary, as respected icons and simple toys. The dragon's manifestations are truly without number. Many of these artefacts have travelled to exhibitions accross Canada, US and Asia.
Part of Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Legacy Collection, exhibited at festivals over the years with the assitance from the Canadian Society for Asian Arts.
