Taste of China, family festival welcoming the New Year
• When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
• Where: Tucson Chinese Cultural Center. 1288 W. River Road, near La Canada Drive.
• Admission: Free.
• Details: Organizers expect close to 1,000 people will turn out for festivities that include music, dancing and martial-arts demonstrations. Come hungry, because as the name, Taste of China, implies - food takes a starring role.
There will be food representing every region of China, in addition to favorites such as pot stickers, shrimp chips and crab puffs. Foods for a prosperous New Year include Nian Gao, which is a sweet cake, and Law Bok Gao, a turnip cake.
Other desserts will range from almond fortune cookies and butterflies (fried wonton skins dipped in sugar) to mango pudding. And drinks will include boba (bubble tea), hot and cold tea and Chinese beer. Most foods will cost between $1 to $5, to encourage sampling. "We want people to try everything," Patsy Lee said.
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• More: www.tucsonchinese.org
Chinese New Year Family Feast
• When: Offered through Sunday.
• Where: The Bamboo Club Asian Bistro, 5870 E. Broadway.
• Cost: $18 per person, minimum two people per order.
• Details: Special four-course menu featuring traditional New Year's favorites, including longevity noodles. Also, the bistro hosts its third annual Potsticker Eating Contest at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Lion Dance
• When: 3 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket, 1990 W. Orange Grove Road.
• Cost: Free.
• Details: Lion Dance performance by a Phoenix-based group.
• More: 638-8328.
Dinner Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit
• When: 5 to 11 p.m. Feb. 12.
•Where: J.W. Marriott at Starr Pass, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
• Cost: $125.
• Details: The Tucson Chinese Association hosts an evening of food, drink and entertainment that includes dancing and a casino night.
• Reservations: 292-6900.
Did you know
• The celebration began Wednesday - on the eve of the Chinese New Year - when families gather in their homes for dinner to remember ancestors and honor their living elders.
The celebration lasts 15 days. People visit family and friends, bringing oranges and tangerines with green leaves and stems still attached for good luck.
On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning - to prepare the home for good luck. Then the brooms are put away so that you don't sweep the good luck out within the next two weeks.
Buying new clothing and getting a haircut also symbolize a fresh start.
The traditional color is red for luck.
• Famous people born in the Year of the Rabbit include: Albert Einstein, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, David Beckham, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Jet Li, Tina Turner, Drew Barrymore and Kate Winslet.
Source: Tucson Chinese Cultural Center
