by Parker Leavitt The Arizona Republic Feb. 15, 2010 12:00 AM
David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic. Tina Peng performs a Dai dance Sunday at the ChineseCulteral Center in Phoenix.
Thousands gathered at Phoenix's Chinese Cultural Center on Sunday to usher in the Lunar New Year and celebrate China's rich tradition and culture.
Phoenix Chinese Week, which began on Friday, drew between 10,000 and 15,000 people over three days, event organizers estimate.
Sunday marked the first day of the "Year of the Tiger," which some consider the luckiest sign in the Chinese zodiac.
Many festivalgoers agreed that after years of worldwide economic recession and hardship, any good luck the new year may be bring would be welcome.
"I just want to forget the bad things of the last year and hope for a lucky, happy new year," said Tempe resident Siwei Zhang, who came from Wuhan, China, to study at Arizona State University.
The first Year of the Tiger came about 4,700 years ago, about the same time the Egyptians were building the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge was being erected in what is now England.
The Lunar New Year carries with it numerous traditions and customs intended to bring families together and invite a year's worth of good fortune.
Phoenix resident Tony Tang, 54, said his family spends hours together cooking traditional Chinese holiday foods, such as kok-jai cookies and rice cakes.
"Technically we're not supposed to cook for three days," Tang said. "We're supposed to live off all of the food we made for the New Year."
After sharing a large meal, which Tang said was like Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners combined, his family spends the evening talking and playing games.
"It's our own little family search for happiness," said Samuel Ng, Tang's brother-in-law, who brought his family to visit from San Diego.
In another widespread tradition, children receive red envelopes, called hongbao, filled with money from their parents and grandparents. For young people, it can be the most lucrative ritual of the year.
"I got some new clothes, new shoes and money," said Cedric Jiang, 18, of Las Vegas.
But in a world of seemingly endless distractions and time constraints, Tang said some families are finding it harder to come together to celebrate.
"Many families are losing their traditions, especially in this country, because much of their family may still be abroad," Tang said.
Instead, much of the Valley's booming Asian-American population use festivals such as Phoenix Chinese Week to meet friends who share a common background.
"For those of us who are immigrants, from a foreign country, this is the one time we can meet with people with similar traditions," said Emma Ditsworth, 52, originally from Taiwan.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2008 that there were about 162,000 Asian-Americans in Arizona, comprising approximately 2.5 percent of the state's population.
In 2000, 1.8 percent of Arizonans, or about 92,000 people, identified themselves as Asian-American, according to the census.
"That's a huge increase," Census worker Albert Lin said. "The Asian community is probably the second-fastest growing group (in Arizona), second only to Hispanics."
Sunday's event at the Chinese Cultural Center featured dozens of booths selling food, jewelry, toys, and art. A small "cultural village" displayed several ancient inventions that originated in China, including a compass, a seismograph and an abacus.
Danny Young, vice president of Phoenix Chinese Week, said the organization was happy with the turnout.
The annual event, he said, has come along way since it began 20 years ago as a handful of tables and booths in Patriots Square Park.
"There's no Chinatown here, so the intent is just to show what Chinese culture is about and broaden everyone's knowledge of other cultures," Young said.
