Firecrackers, food and a touch of faith helped Tucson's Vietnamese church host an all-day party Sunday to ring in the Year of the Pig.
Roughly 1,000 people — more than double last year's number — wandered into the parking lot of Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church, 800 S. Tucson Blvd., to celebrate Tet, the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
It was the second year the church organized a fundraising festival that was open to the public.
This year, groups from Tucson's Chinese, Korean and Filipino communities participated, said Theresa Nguyen, a church member and catechism instructor.
"In the largest cities, they segregate. Since our Asian community here is so small, everybody seems to want to work together," Nguyen said. "Everyone knows that the Chinese New Year is one crazy party."
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Young church members spent the last several weeks learning how to perform a traditional dragon dance.
As revelers wandered about the parking lot shaking hands and exchanging hugs, singers belted out traditional Vietnamese opera.
Children were given small red envelopes filled with money, a traditional way for parents and grandparents to wish them a prosperous new year.
Crowds of men huddled around tables for Bau Cua, a game played with three dice covered with pictures.
Tony Hoang, who moved here two years ago from Dallas, said he felt welcome at the festival as he strolled beneath a tent, pushing his son in a stroller. He also said he was reminded of Saigon, where he was born.
"There's a lot of Vietnamese here," Hoang said. "Everybody misses Vietnam."
While the festival is a chance for residents to be with friends, it's also a way to reach out to newcomers who might not feel comfortable here, said Paul Nguyen, a Tucson dentist and church member, who's not related to Theresa. Simply finding someone who speaks the same language can help newcomers feel at home and settle into a new place, he said.
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